The Ghost
by Thera Lance
Summary: In the dark room of Pandora's Box...
1. Chapter 1

**This is an AU that takes place immediately after Season Zero's conclusion.**

* * *

_Do you…Do you remember, now…Ryo?_

He is running. Rain roars in his ears. His feet feel frozen. His lungs are burning. He does not care.

The first turn is ahead of him and he barely stops himself from skidding as he takes a hard right. He is almost there. He can-no-he must make it before they find him again.

_Do you or do you not, Ryo? It is a simple question. I would expect my landlord to know the answer._

The Voice is not real. The spirit has been dead for almost a week, now. The Voice is truly just in his head. If the rain was not pelting into his face so hard, Ryo would have realized he was crying.

_Big Brother, say you remember. Please, it would make me and Kitty so happy._

Ryo trips and crashes onto the pavement. The tan coat he wears is stained and torn by the concrete. He does not feel his skinned palms bleed. He does not feel what should be blinding pain in his left hand.

_Oh god,_

_No._

That was his sister's voice. Amane's voice. He is too late. It is coming, and he is too late. Soon he won't be able to move and it will come. Ryo looks up. His face is contorted in anguish until he spots it. He has made it. He is saved.

_Ryo, honey, you should not deny this. It will only make it worse. Don't make this hard on yourself, please._

Ryo ignores his mother as he gets to his feet. The anguish and the misery are gone, replaced only by a numbness that seeps into his very core. His face betrays no emotion.

_Landlord! Do you remember or do you not! Answer me, you little brat. I know you can hear me. I know…_

Ryo takes the first step onto the bridge and then the second and then another and another until he has reached the midpoint. His green eyes are downcast, dead. The left hand that lies limply at his side is throbbing. His whole body is trembling. The trembling might be from the rain, but that is doubtful. He does not feel cold, after all.

_I know that you can hear me. I know that you remember._

Ryo places his hands on the stone ledge and hauls himself up. The wound on his left hand tears and blood has soaked through the bandages, but he does not even glance down to acknowledge it. The rain is falling harder now, and he almost loses his balance and nearly falls back onto the road. That would not do. He is too tired to haul himself up onto the ledge again.

_I remembered, too. I have always remembered. At least…_

Ryo blinks once. The heart that was pounding so hard from exhaustion has slowed. Below him, the waters churn violently from the storm.

_At least, until you killed me. _The Voice sounds distant and cold._ Before you betrayed me in Monster World for some strangers._

Ryo cannot fight the numbness inside enough to cry. He breathes in the frigid air one last time before he leans forward.

_Now, you are the only one who remembers._

While gravity takes control from Ryo, he sees the event that he was trying to outrun. He sees the first of the images, which he won't be able to finish.

_Who remembers that they are all dead._

Sightless, staring eyes. Twisted metal and bone and so much blood.

_That Mother, Eric, (that annoyance)… That Amane are all dead._

The water is rushing up to meet him. While the wind whips his white hair into a shimmering trail behind him, there is a roaring in his ears.

_And that it's our fault. All my fault. I am alone. _

When the water rushes down his throat and drags him under, it is his own voice that he hears. The spirit has been dead for almost a week. Otherwise, the icy metal ring against his chest would have burned the second he had stepped out of his house fifteen minutes ago. The spirit would have been furious. He would have stopped him and… and…

_I am alo… going home._

He cannot breath or move. The current buffets him and holds him under, but his arms and legs are too heavy, too much like lead to have allowed him to swim if he had wanted to.

_At a house with large windows… once home…, Mother is there and Amane too. See, they are smiling. He knew that this was the right way home. They are smiling, and the one his sister calls Kitty is there, too. He is not smiling._

He can barely see. The dark waters had looked the same when he had first sunk beneath the surface, anyways. But, a few moments ago, he had been able to spot the bridge, at least. Now, all Ryo sees of it is a peculiar splash of red on its side. It is interesting to see in the end a mark that he had not seen when he had walked across it to school every day.

_The one who is not smiling runs towards him. The expression that he wears can only be described as dark, and the yelling has only just reached Ryo's ears. Too bad his hearing is just as bad as his eyesight._

The next time, a moment later, the current manipulates Ryo into a position that he can see in the bridge's direction, he notices the red splotch has fallen off the side of the bridge and has moved to just above the river. There is something attached to it, but he cannot…

_His other's fist slams into his face, and the yelling has finally clarified_.

_You IDIOT! You could not wait, could you? Move out of my way before you get us both killed, you suicidal brat._

The ring burns, but the body that wears it is too far gone to feel its heat or the iciness of the river as it tumbles. It is too far gone to feel the pain in its left hand finally stop or to feel the slowing of its pulse or to feel the last attempt at an intake of air. It is too far gone to live.

_MOVE IDIOT! This will not end like this. _

Ryo's eyes finally close, but not before the red hits the water and the object that is attached to it becomes clear.

_No…no…no…_

Eyes as grey and as stormy as the night clouds above stare into the body's slack face. Strong hands grab onto the limp body and pull both of them to the surface.

_Idiot._

The red-haired man says the same thing in his native tongue.

* * *

One, two, three compressions against the chest.

_What the hell._

Pinch nose, breath out. Repeat compressions.

_This was supposed to be an easy assignment. Watch some brat. Not too threatening._

The snarl appears on the man's face the third time he tries to get the kid's heart beating.

_Sure, he has a Millennium Item. But his powers have been subdued. They won't return. At least, that's what the boss said._

He is tempted to slap the drowned idiot, but if he stays dead that would be just disrespectful. The Millennium Ring that is positioned a few inches away from the white-haired boy's head and a few inches from the man's left side seems to glint in agreement. After the glint, the water that clings to its surfaces begins to turn into steam. The man is too busy to notice.

_No problem he says. A vacation compared to your usual job of soul hunting he says. You might even be able to recruit a new member to help us with our great mission he says._

The rain beating down on the red-haired man's head helps him understand that hell is not a place of fire and brimstone. It is a place of rocky gravel shores and sharp-as-nails rain and yet another kid dying on the ground besides him.

_Not cut through with shrapnel and bullets like the others, but dying all the same._

The man stops trying when he realizes that he is in hell and that he has to explain this Bakura kid's death on his watch and… that the kid looks peaceful like this. Like, if he was sleeping, maybe those dark, dark circles around his eyes would finally be able to disappear. As the man studies the adolescent's face, one of the hands that he had removed from on top of the boy's still chest moves to rest on the ground besides him. Fingertips brush against the Ring.

The man screams as intense heat travels through his fingertips, up his arm, and into his head.

_"__Don't you dare give up, Worm."_

There is a hissing voice in his head. His left hand will not let go of the infernal Ring, and his right hand is clutching his head and trying to crush the voice and intense heat out. The voice growls at his attempts to resist it.

_"__Move aside, Mortal."_

And with that, the man's hand is no longer gripping the ring and the other hand is no longer clutching his head. They are now both being used to grab the drowned adolescent's collar and lift him up off the ground. The man's hands start shaking the boy; meanwhile, the man watches in horror from a small box in the back of his mind.

"Wake up! Wake up, you pathetic excuse for a host!"

The man can feel the tightness of his hands and can feel the way his teeth are clenched together hard enough that his gums bleed. He can see the way the boy's head lolls to the side as his body tries to shake him awake. He can feel and see, but he cannot control his own body.

"A few memories is all it took to kill you. Really, you beat me in a shadow game, brat. Those memories are nothing compared to that."

As the shock disappears, the man starts to fight back.

_The Pharaoh destroyed any spirit or demons in the Ring said the boss. No chance of possession said-_

"Shut it, Mortal."

At those words, the man is shoved deeper into the box. The boy's body is allowed to drop, and the man's body begins to do a crude imitation of the CPR from earlier.

_"__You're pushing too hard. Even if he could be brought back, that could damage-"_

The body beneath the man comes sputtering to life. Ryo is breathing and coughing and breathing and coughing up water all over the man. It is just the man, now. The box is gone. The spirit has left him to deal with the pounding rain, the gravel digging into his knees, and the boy who is shaking and coughing violently beneath him. The man opens his mouth to speak, but then the boy stops shaking. The white-haired boy slowly pushes himself up using unsteady arms and looks straight into the man's eyes. Yellow irises and slitted pupils meet the storm grey of the man's eyes. The Millennium Ring glows eerily in the moonlight. Wait, it is still raining. There is no moonlight or that many streetlights.

_Oh sh-_

"You have been of enough service." Says the grating voice of the spirit.

"Therefore, I will permit you to take the credit for this, Mortal." As the Ring brightens, the spirit gives a humorless smile.

_Run. Run. Run. Get up and Run!_

The light hits the man before he can even react.

* * *

Ryo is… He does not know where he is, frankly, because he was at home running to the door to meet his sister and Mother after a long, tiring day at school and now he is under a bridge and soaked to the bone. It is night, too. When he had been running to meet his sister, it was not night and it was not raining and it was not so cold. Ryo blinks once, then twice, in an attempt to wake himself up from this odd dream. It is still raining. Okay, not a dream then. Ryo will just try to push himself up and-

The boy feels a burning in his throat before he vomits up water. He leans forward. The palms of his hands are burning from the gravel that is being dug into them, and a wound on his left hand is bleeding profusely. As he finishes expelling the last of the river water, white, limp hair falls and clings to the sides of his face.

_Why am I here? Where is Amane?_

She is gone. That image of home had not been from today. That was from six or seven years ago. Today, he was…

_Leaning forward on the bridge's ledge. Gravity eventually took over, and he…_

Ryo was just…The boy looks up at the bridge above him. As he squints because of the rain falling onto his face, he remembers that he just jumped off a fifteen foot high bridge, and someone might have jumped after him.

_Someone who-_

The boy jerks at that thought. His eyes widening at the realization that someone else might have gotten killed because of him.

_"__And that's why one should always commit suicide at home. Less good Samaritans get killed by stupidity that way."_

If the boy was not already deathly pale, the color would have drained from his face. His panic at the possibility of someone else dying is temporarily forgotten,

_"__Sp…Spirit."_

The Voice does not respond at first; but, then, a weakened near whisper responds.

_"__Br…brat. Id…idiot."_

Ryo flinches again,

_You're mocking me. I deserve that, don't I?"_

It takes longer for the Voice to respond.

_"__You…don't…say."_

It is a whisper now, not just a near one. Ryo is trembling and maybe crying a bit; however, he cannot tell if these reactions are from the cold and rain, which has begun to lessen, or from the feelings within him.

_"__You saved me, didn't you?"_

The answer is obvious, but Ryo is too cold and too tired to think of anything else to say. It is also odd to be speaking calmly to someone who had just tried to stuff his friends' souls into dolls for some RPG.

_ "__Look to your right." Says the near inaudible Voice._

If Ryo had listened close enough to that last sentence, he would have heard the amusement in the Voice. As it was, the sight that he saw as he whips his head to the right distracts him from his current train of thought. There is another person only a foot from his left. That person is pale and drenched and still. Ryo just killed somebody.

"Oh god, no." Ryo shoots forward. His hand wraps around the other person's wrist to check for a pulse, and his eyes travel to the other's face. The moment his grip tightens, though, is the moment that the other man's eyes shoot open.

Grey eyes are only unfocused for a moment before they are trained on Ryo. Ryo freezes. The stranger does not. He rips his hand from Ryo's grasp and pushes himself quickly away from the boy. There is almost fear in the man's eyes but only for a moment before confusion takes its place. It is almost like the stranger does not know why he was afraid of Ryo for that second before his conscious thought took over.

From their positions a few feet away from each other, both the boy and the man stare at each other. Ryo is the first to blink. His expression is owlish and any words that he could or should say cannot make it past his lips. The stranger is the first to move and to speak. The stranger's eyes dart to look at the bridge above and then shift back to Ryo.

"So, I got to you in time, then." Ryo just blinks in response and trembles a bit from the cold. The stranger narrows his eyes and leans forward.

"Hey, kid, are you alright?"

"I am not a kid." Ryo blurts out to his and the stranger's surprise.

"I am Ryo Bakura." He finishes. The boy's voice goes quiet at the end of his statement. The stranger stares at him in mild disbelief.

"Okay. Ryo, are you alright.' The stranger seems to try to give a comforting smile but it turns more into a grimace, really. Ryo goes back to his owlish blinking and trembling. The stranger narrows his eyes again in obvious annoyance.

"Kid-uh-Ryo, I asked if-"

"What is your name?" asks Ryo.

"Wha…"

"It is rude to not tell someone your name once he has told you his own." It is the stranger's turn to stare owlishly.

"It's just Alister." He said quietly. In Alister's opinion, the boy seems to be a bit out of it. Maybe it was from the fall or from the lack of oxygen, but the boy's behavior does not match with Alister's view of someone who would jump off of a bridge in the first place.

"As to your previous question, no, I am not okay. My chest feels like it is on fire still. My fingers and toes don't feel like anything, really. Oh, and sister is dead and mother..." The boy starts giggling. Alister scoots a little more away. He is not afraid per se, but the sight of the white-haired boy's wide green eyes and the sound of his odd laugh make Alister cautious. The giggles suddenly stop, and the boy just stares at Alister with too wide eyes.

"I am not okay. I want to go home. It was sunny back there, and, although I know my friends wouldn't like that, I just want to go home. Why did you stop me from going home? Mom and Amane are w…waiting for me to come home and…" The adolescent's eyes are no longer wide. They are downcast and dull. The crying starts slowly and falteringly. First one tear and then another trail down Ryo's face until the boy is sobbing.

"I just want Amane…please" Alister starts to really feel the cold then. The cold that being drenched and knowing what it feels like to be dead inside one can feel. Alister moves forward until he is only a foot away from the violently trembling boy. Alister starts to reach forward, stops, and then reaches forward again. His hands grasp the trembling boy's shoulders. The boy's shoulders are as cold as ice. Hypothermia is a real possibility in these conditions, so both he and Ryo really should not be sitting in the rain like this.

"Hey, Ryo, listen. I know that- Kid, we really need to get someplace war-Oomph." Ryo has closed the distance between them and has latched onto Alister like he is some kind of lifeline. He sobs into Alister's shirt.

_Kid, I am not the person to turn to right now._

Alister does not speak aloud this thought. Instead, he tentatively pats the shoulder of the boy. Ryo tightens his grip. From this response, more of the cold of the adolescent seeps into Alister. Alister knows that, if the trembling is anything to go by, he will most likely end up carrying Ryo to his apartment several blocks away. The boy will most likely be sick for hours, if not days, too. Alister sighs. The mist from his breath matches the white hair near it.

This is going to be a long night and an even longer assignment.


	2. Chapter 2

_The windows in this house are large. So large that, during the day, the whole world seems to be lit in dazzling sunlight. Sure, the whole place might be old and damp, but at least it is not cramped and dark like that awful apartment._

_"__Ryo."_

_The child turns around at the call of his mother. His eyes are narrowed in annoyance, but he will forgive her for her mistake. As the boy turns around, canines flash in the golden light, and his eyes widen in some mockery of innocence._

_"__Yes, Mother?" The mocking tone causes her to look up from the moving boxes that have been occupying her attention for the past half hour. As she glances at her child's expression, her pale green eyes widen._

_"__Oh sorry, Bakura." She says. The blush of embarrassment on her face is refreshing. She has been so sad and her face so colorless for so long._

_"__Could you get your brother? I need his help deciding how to set up his room." She looks at him as he fidgets a little before deciding to cut his sightseeing of the windows short._

_"__All right." Bakura huffs before blinking once and-_

_-Ryo blinks a few times. The disorientation he feels is nonsensical. He is in the kitchen. How could one become disoriented from taking a step towards the fridge… Why is he in the outer hall?_

_"__Ryo, come. We were just about to design your room." His mother says to him as she picks up one of the lighter boxes. It is almost like she does not expect him to know what is going on._

_"__Oh…Okay, Mother." The boy is still confused; however, he must have just got caught in a daydream again. Ryo walks quickly towards her. Some part of him pushes him to run towards her, and, once again, he is left disoriented as he finds himself suddenly in his room. There is something strange with it, though. The pale blue and lavender pattern wall seems to be fading into whiteness right before his eyes. The outlines of some of the objects that are scattered about blur when Ryo looks directly at them, and the rest of what he assumes are his belongings are covered in sheets. The air of the room seems to be pressing down on him with gradually increasing strength, and Ryo feels like the heaviness is seeping into his mind. The boy glances at his mother. Confusion is evident in every part of his face. His mother merely smiles at him and then places a hand on his shoulder._

* * *

The world is warm and the place Ryo lays is so soft and comfortable. It is too bad that once again, a new memory has caused coldness to creep along Ryo's heart. The boy stiffens for a moment. However, the warmth that surrounds him and the softness around him causes the need to get up and pace to fade away and causes his body to relax. As he snuggles deeper into the warmth, Ryo's eyes are still closed. Now that he thought about it, the dream itself was not so bad. At least, he had not woken up screaming. In a way, it was nice to see his mother content and calm like that. Although, the room that he saw was discomforting. Beneath closed eyelids, he swears he can still see the colored walls morphing into pure white and can still feel the heaviness pressing down on him.

Ryo sighs at his thoughts before opening blurry eyes. The first object he sees is a pillow covering his left arm. His glazed gaze travels from that pillow to the mounds of pillows around him. The boy wonders to himself why exactly he bothered setting this up last night, but he is too tired to think too much about that. Maybe he had less chores and homework than he thought last night, or maybe he felt the need to treat himself. The more he thinks about it, the less the reasons seem to matter.

Ryo yawns and draws his left arm from underneath the pillow to cover his mouth. The fresh bandages across his palm catch his eyes. Odd. He usually puts off changing them until after his morning shower. The boy just shrugs before shifting to an even more comfortable position. Even though the lighting of the room implies that it is at least mid-morning, Ryo's mind is still so fuzzy. It is almost like he stayed up all night. Which would not make sense since yesterday was Sunday- a day that Ryo never stays up late on. And it is mid-morning.

_Wait, school._

Ryo's eyes shoot open. He leaps up from his mound of pillows and trips over a lumpy object on the floor. As he goes crashing to the floor, Ryo yelps, then groans from his place on the floor. Before his fall, he happened to catch a glimpse of the 11:56 A. M. on his clock. Missing two days of class during his first two weeks is definitely not a good impression, but it is rather late to go to school now. Although, on a good note, he is lucky that he did not use his injured left hand to brace himself and instead landed on his side.

Ryo glances over his shoulder to see what had tripped him. There are extra blankets and pillows by his bed that must have fallen off in the middle of the night. There is something off about them, but it takes until Ryo finally blinks the last bit of sleep from his eyes before he sees it. They are damp. Ryo can tell this because there is a clear imprint, like someone had lain there after a shower, of dampness on them. While carefully pushing himself to his feet, he frowns at this thought. He runs his right hand through his hair. It is dry. He walks up to his bed to see if the bedding on it is damp. It is not.

_All right, this does not make sense._

Ryo walks over to the dampest pillow on the carpet and picks it up. He sniffs it. If he had showered last night, there would be a scent of cherry or apricot from his favored shampoos. It smells like rain. Like the rain from-

_There is a bridge. Water is rushing down his throat. He cannot breathe, he cannot breathe. A flash of red appears before the darkness swallows him. A glint of gold is-_

The pillow has not even hit the floor before Ryo dove back into the mound of bedding. It must be here. After a night like that, he would have clung to it in his sleep. One hand brushes against cool metal. Within moments, he unearths the Ring from the mound. As he holds it away from himself, the boy is breathing fast and hard. The spirit is back. The Spirit is back and there are so many questions that Ryo wants, no, needs to ask about those blank spaces in his memory that have just started to fill in, about the real reason behind Monster World, about Mother and Amane, about how much they knew about the Ring, about how the spirit treated them, and about the fact that Mother often called the spirit Ryo's brother.

_"__Spirit, are you there?"_

The Ring is cold and silent.

_"__Ba…Bakura?"_

Ryo's last name tastes odd on his tongue. He is uncomfortable with the fact that, if the memories are accurate, the spirit has stolen his last name. His discomfort leaves him a second after a brief warmth pulses through the Ring and into his hands. After a moment, the Ring turns cold again, but that temperature change was enough to know that the spirit was alive, in a sense, and had heard Ryo.

Ryo's breath slows and he relaxes. It might not be now, but he will finally get some answers.

A sharp, piercing noise startles the boy, and the Ring drops with a thump back onto the bed. As the telephone continues to ring, Ryo snatches the artifact back up and slips the rope around his neck before getting off of the bed and heading towards the door. Unfortunately, the telephone is in the living room. The ringing stops on the third ring, and Ryo freezes in the hallway.

"Hello?" Says a tense voice. Ryo does not move or even breathe. There is someone else in his apartment.

"Ryo's not available. He is sick. He won't be coming to school for awhile." There is a horrible silence.

"No, I already told you. He cannot come to the phone. Call later." The click of the phone echoes in Ryo's ears.

Ryo's heartbeat is pounding in his ears and his hands will not stop shaking. There is a stranger in his house. The boy leans against the wall. Where is the Spirit? Ryo's life is in danger. As demonstrated in memories preceding a blackout and in the few memories that Ryo has regained, the spirit has always taken over by this point. Why has he not taken over by now? Did something happen last night to weaken the spirit or did-?

"You're awake."

Ryo pushes away from the wall and steps sideways away from the intruder. His heart is pounding, and it's hard to breath. Pale green eyes flash to the red-haired stranger's grey eyes.

_I know you._

_In the darkness and ruin, there is someone holding him as his world ends again._

"Alister."

* * *

At Domino High, Miho is staring at her phone and having visions of the last time Bakura missed school. Miniature dolls and an evil, smirking, possessed Bakura dance across her vision.

"Yugi! Yugi!"

The boy in question looks up from his bland lunch to see a light-purple-haired girl speed towards him. In the cafeteria lights, the puzzle that hangs from his neck gleams.

* * *

Alister stares at Ryo from across the table while the boy tries to finish his bowl of cereal. The boy keeps glancing at Alister and then quickly looks back at his cereal. One small nibble later, the glance returns. Alister just stares.

Once a quarter of the bowl is eaten, the boy finally finds the courage to maintain eye contact and to speak.

"Thank you." The boy mumbles.

Alister just stares in reply. This time, the boy holds his stare. His right hand clenches the spoon, but his gaze is steady. He does not tremble.

_You're different from last night, Ryo, or is it the spirit that stares at me through those eyes?_

The boy speaks again despite the lack of response.

"You saved my life last night. Thank you. I do not know what I could do for you in repayment, but-"

"I have several questions for you." Alister curtly cuts in, his grey eyes simmering. Ryo blinks and finally looks away. He clenches his spoon even harder.

"Okay, you deserve that." The boy's voice is quiet and full of dread. Here comes the questions for his reasoning and the answers that he will be forced to give.

"Your words last night told me enough about your reasons."

Wide green eyes look back towards Alister.

_I know that prying will make that pain worse._

"However, there is a few facts I need to know in order to see if there will be any problems while I am staying here." Ryo fidgets at the word "staying" and opens his mouth to ask-

"Let's just skip those questions and the long-winded talk that is bound to ensue." Alister cuts in.

"You tried to kill yourself last night due to personal reasons. Judging from what I have seen, you live here alone."

"I have friends who-"

"Who do not live with you." Alister's stare hardens.

"If I were to leave you alone and you were to decide to finish what you started, then I would be responsible for it." Ryo is silent and is wearing his owlish expression again. His bandaged left hand is curled into a fist. The clean, white bandages and pale hand contrast the chestnut table. His two wounds (one on his palm and one on top of his hand) are not bleeding through the bandages. This is a fact that Alister has noted many times throughout the night and this morning. Whether the boy is clutching at the blankets that cover him or clenching his hand like now, those wounds almost never bleed.

_It had to have bled sometime under the bridge. Otherwise, there would not have been such a large stain on the sleeve of Ryo's tan coat nor would there have been so much blood to clean off the boy's hand and arm. _

In an attempt to derail his current train of thought, Alister blinks a few times and shifts almost imperceptibly in his chair. There is a hint of calculation in Ryo's green eyes, but Alister ignores it for now.

"Now, back to those few facts." Alister glances at the bandaged hand. "That wound bled enough that I nearly took you to the hospital. I assume that, judging from its current condition, that is not necessary."

The boy stops blinking and breathing for a moment. Alister waits for a response. Will it come from the spirit who thinks that the manipulations of Alister's memories from last night actually worked- a green stone glitters from its protective place on a piece of lace- or will Ryo be the one to respond?

_Pointing out some weird aspect like that hand will bring a rise out of the Ring's resident- if he is still active. However, it's likely that your recent battle with the Pharaoh and the events of last night drained too much out of you, Spirit._

"No" says a steady voice. For a single moment, Alister thinks that the spirit is responding to his thoughts. His muscles tense and his breath is shallow. But then-

"It won't bleed if I do not want it to."

Alister's eyes widen. The boy just stares back. His eyes are not flashing yellow, but there is something different about them. Some look, some glance that signals a possibility of something being very off.

_You're testing me, aren't you?_

"Good" says Alister. His voice does not betray the tension in his body.

"Also, is there anything that is a need to know before we continue on with the next few weeks?"

The boy exhales before he goes back to eating his now soggy cereal. He does not nibble this time but instead takes quick large bites.

"Not really, only that my friends come over quite often and that my RPG room is off limits."

While the boy devours his cereal, neither one speaks. Within a minute, the boy stands up and walks over to the dishwasher. He does not look at Alister. However, Alister trains his eyes on him. The expected flash of gold never comes. The boy turns towards the open door leading to the hallway and walks to it. Before he leaves, though, Ryo stops and looks back over his shoulder.

"The damp bedding on the floor was from you I take it." The boy's eyes are too observant, too focused. The Spirit, for that is who Alister assumes has been in control for a while now, has too many faces for Alister's liking

"Yes." Alister still waits for a flash of gold.

"I think you can stay then. Thank you for changing the bandages last night." With those words and a warm smile, the boy is gone. Alister waits until Ryo Bakura is out of earshot before removing his hand from the duel cards in his trench coat pocket and sighing.

Down the hall, Bakura leans against the bedroom door before opening it and stumbling inside. He should not have taken over. He does not have the energy for this, but it had to be done. Alister's questions about the wound had called forth a memory that would have made Ryo's real reaction rather unpleasant. As it is, Bakura grimaces as his landlord relives one of his more violent memories. The only positive thing about this situation is that, if the creeping whiteness at the back of his mind is anything to go by, Ryo will probably forget all this within a few moments.

Bakura falls to his knees while control of their shared body slips from him. For a minute, the body they share teeters on the edge of collapsing, but then Ryo is back in control. The boy stands, and his legs almost give out, but he manages to lean against his bed for balance. The boy blinks several times as the memory he just relived fades into a white, heavy haze. He tries to remember what he was just doing, but the last moment- the entire morning in fact- seems to be slipping away from him.

One glance at the damp bedding on the floor reminds him of Alister. Yet, for the life of him, Ryo cannot remember why Alister was on the floor last night.

_That must have been uncomfortable. _Ryo thinks as he picks up the bedding. _I should drag the futon out of storage for him to use later._

As Ryo picks up and straightens the bedding, the memories of last night slip from his mind like a forgotten dream.

* * *

Meanwhile, at school.

"Miho, are you sure that Bakura was possessed again?" Tea sighs. The purple-haired girl nods vigorously.

"Yes, Miho is certain! The voice on the phone was rough and harsh like the evil Bakura. And he certainly did not like Miho at all." She finishes her words with another nod.

"Did the voice actually say that he was Bakura?" Tea asks with half-lidded eyes.

"No, but Miho is certain he wouldn't reveal himself like that!"

From his place to the immediate left of Tea, Yugi interjects with an obvious question.

"Are you sure it wasn't his father. He does work at the Domino Mus-"

"Yugi! How dare you lack faith in Miho's intuition!" says Tristan as he appears right next to Yugi's side and grabs his arm to make him stop walking.

"Miho has a terrific sixth sense. If she says that the creepy, evil ring-spirit has returned from the abyss, then return he has." Yugi shakes off Tristan's titan grip a second before Joey plows into the lovesick fool.

"It has been only six days since the creepy, evil ring-spirit's demise and I doubt that the Other Yugi's banishing spell whatchamacallit would disappear that quickly." Somewhere within the Puzzle, someone cringes at the word "spell whatchamacallit."

"So, no one start saying that its back." Joey states as he dodges Tristan's retaliatory shove. "Besides, everyone knows that it takes at least six years for a ghost or demon to return."

Tea directs her unamused gaze at Joey.

"That was from the horror movie we saw three weeks ago."

Joey glances at her as he dodges Tristan's punch.

"Yeah. And Egyptian curses and magic items are in the movies, too."

As Tea sighs, Yugi laughs at Tea's reactions to Joey's unshakable faith in the Word of Movies. Miho joins in the laughter, too. However, her reaction might be more from the fact that she has managed to rile up Tristan again. As the friends continue on their way, Bakura's apartment slowly comes into view.

* * *

Deep within the darkness, a prone form lies on hard ground. It is cold here. The cold is enough to make the figure's fingers, bare toes, and lips turn blue in color and to cause his body to tremble if it had the energy. It does not. Dull amber eyes stare sightlessly off into the darkness. If any person were to come by, this one would appear dead to them. His chest does not even noticeably rise with each shallow breath he takes, and his pulse flutters so weakly that, if one were to feel his wrist or neck for a pulse, one would not find it.

The figure does not care about his current condition. He is alive and that is all that matters. He fought and, due to a certain foolish boy, lost against a powerful Item. Yet, he is still alive. Even the magic of a supposed Pharaoh cannot kill him. If he had the energy, the Spirit of the Ring would smirk at this thought. As it is, the brief intensity of his emotions have used up the last of his energy. His eyes flutter shut. Before his conscious can leave him completely, his thoughts turn to his Landlord. If the idiot had not pulled his stunts last night and today, Bakura might have had the energy to observe and sense the outside world. Now, it might be weeks before he recovers even that ability.

By that time, all the memories will have most likely returned to his host. The spirit would cringe if he could. He would have preferred to wake up to a host whose sanity was intact.


	3. Chapter 3

She finishes the letter with flourish. The last "e" in the last sentence looks almost like a checkmark and the name "Amane" is once again drawn in a different type of calligraphy than the last letter she sent. There was a time that she hated writing anything at all. Talking was much faster and she had felt that she could better express her true thoughts. The fact that Amane had loved calligraphy, some stuffy way of writing that only old people tried, had made this favor unbearable at first. Of course, that was before she had learned that this type of writing was so colorful and beautiful and could help accent the intended meanings of her words so much better. Now, she absolutely loved writing.

The girl sighs and stretches her hands above her head. One glance at the clock tells her that she finished soon enough for the ink to dry before she delivered it to Ryo's apartment today. She cannot wait to see his face brighten. It always makes him so happy to see a letter sent by his "sister." His happiness often makes her feel warm inside. At least, when she does not dwell too much on the fact that she is writing the letters of a dead girl.

* * *

Yugi is the first one up the stairs to Bakura's apartment. Even though the stairwell is dark, the puzzle hanging from his neck appears as if under a bright light. The others trail behind him in silence. None of the times that they have visited Bakura have been so similar to the events of Monster World as now.

"He is probably just sick, like the person on the phone said." Tea blurts out when the tense silence becomes too much.

"Like the evil spirit on the phone said."

"Tristan, shut it." Joey's voice is sharp, but it has a hint of a tremble to it that the rest of the gang pretend not to notice. The concept, let alone the real deal, of dark magic and evil spirits have never really sat well with Joey.

"Who else could have been on the phone?" Miho's voice is subdued for once. "A few days ago, Bakura said that his father was still on his trip and would not be home for months."

Joey stops at Miho's words and turns towards her. Tristan nearly slams into him from behind.

"He probably has other family. Cousins, uncles, a grandpa, you know, someone who was not sent to oblivion by the Other Yugi."

_"__I need a name."_

Yugi stops at his Other Self's unrelated comment.

_"__You're not worried that the Ring Spirit is back?"_ Yugi's furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

_"__No, the Ring Spirit would not have announced his presence like this. He knows that the moment I thought he had returned, a confrontation would be inevitable and would be hard to win while facing all of us again."_ Other Yugi hesitates before speaking again.

_"__If I was him, I would target us at a time when we are normally separated. For example, Joey still does delivery runs on Wednesdays, one of the same days that Tea has dance lessons. He would have went after Joey first and then Tea, who has parents who might notice her missing in time for us to be aware of his presence before he attacks again. Tristan and Miho are too risky of targets to go after before us. They might be conversing on the phone with each other, a situation that would allow the one he did not go after to alert… Sorry, you probably do not want to hear this." _

Yugi blinks out of his horror-filled trance only after Joey's voice echoes through it.

" Hey, Yugi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Other Me was just explaining that it is unlikely that the Ring Spirit has returned." While Yugi looks back at his friends, the group visibly relaxes at this statement.

"Well then, let's go. Bakura's probably going to need cheering up since he is sick." And with that, Yugi turns back and starts walking up the stairs again.

_"__I should have been more…careful in my wording. I am still not used to you hearing my thoughts, so censoring-"_

_"__No, it's okay. What you said was oddly comforting. It is good to know that you are trying to predict the moves of any who would harm our friends." _Yugi gives a shaky smile that the spirit senses rather than sees.

_"__We should hurry, though."_

Yugi frowns at the darker tone his Other Self takes.

_"__Why?"_

_"__There is a significant possibility that it was a blood relation who answered the phone. However, it is just as likely that one or more of those who had been bound to the Ring Spirit's dolls have decided to get back at him for their torment." _

Yugi is sprinting the rest of the way up the stairs. His friends are soon shouting questions and running after him.

_"__Why didn't you mention that sooner!?"_

There is a sense of embarrassment from Other Yugi.

_"__I just thought of it."_

It only takes a minute and a rushed explanation to his friends before they are all standing in front of Bakura's door. Since Yugi is leaning against the wall and catching his breath, Joey pounds on the door.

"Bakura, are you-" The door opens and a red-haired man appears.

"What-" It is either the snarl or the fingerless gloves with studded knuckles or, perhaps, the full body coat with padded shoulders that cause Joey and Tristan to slam and hold the stranger against the wall. There is a flash of almost red eyes from the boy leaning against the wall outside of the apartment.

"You don't look like you're related to Bakura, neither do you look like you're up to any good. So, who are you and where is he?" Both Joey and Tristan look furious. Miho has her hands covering her mouth and looks like she is about to run searching for some horrific sight in the house. Tea is already sliding past the mess of three men and down the hallway. Yugi is silent, the shadow behind him flickers and changes as Other Yugi prepares to take over.

"Wait! Joey, Tristan, put him down!"

Six pairs of eyes turn towards the sight of Tea returning with a terrified looking Ryo Bakura behind her.

"He has not done anything to me, if that is what you're thinking. He is-"

"His cousin" finishes the clipped voice of the one pinned to the wall. "And who might you hooligans be?" Cold grey eyes travel to each one before finally settling on Yugi and his now well-behaved, positively ordinary shadow.

"These are my friends. They're just overreacting. Please, put him down."

Both Joey and Tristan reluctantly comply.

"Sorry about that… umm." Says Joey.

"Alister." The man replies before giving one last round of glares, turning, and walking briskly down the hallway to the kitchen. The remaining people stand in silence.

"Sorry, Bakura." Begins Joey.

"We did not know that he was a relative." Says Tristan.

"Yeah, Yugi said that it was one of the angry people the Evil Ring Spirit turned into a doll."

Yugi cringes at Miho's words.

"I said I thought it might be." Yugi protests, his voice low with embarrassment. Ryo blinks owlishly. There is another stretch of awkward silence until the white-haired boy smiles.

"It is okay. I would have been worried about the same thing." The boy pauses for a second. "It means a lot that you skipped school and came so quickly."

Yugi notices when the smile fades slightly. He also notices the dark circles under Ryo's eyes and his unnaturally pale face.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asks. "You don't look well."

Ryo blinks slowly and then responds. "I…I don't think that I slept well this weekend, so I am a little worn down."

"Oh, we're sorry for barging in like this. If you are not feeling the best, we could-"

"No." Ryo says as he interrupts Tea. "It is okay if you guys stay. I would feel a lot better with some company." The boy smiles again, however-

_"__It is not reaching his eyes." _Says the dark voice in Yugi's head.

_"__I know, Other Me, but I don't think that he is lying about not minding if we stay." _As he converses with the puzzle spirit, Yugi moves away from the wall and, along with Miho, comes into the apartment.

There is another period of silence that stretches too long. Ryo's smile has faded again and his gaze is unfocused as he looks in Tea's direction.

"Bakura?" Yugi asks. Ryo blinks rapidly before his eyes finally focus on Yugi.

"Oh…Sorry about that. Like I said, I have not been sleeping much lately." The white-haired boy clenches both fists as he speaks. Yugi's shadow flickers.

"Would you guys feel more comfortable talking in the bedroom? There is something I wanted to discuss." Ryo states in a monotonous tone. Miho is the first to respond.

"Of course we would! Miho was getting tired of standing here." While speaking, she moves closer to Ryo until they are only a few inches apart. "It would be really cool to explore a part of your home that Miho has not seen yet, Ryo." Miho reaches out a hand to grasp Ryo's arm, but the boy steps out of her reach and turns to walk a little ways down the hall.

"It is this room." He says in a distant voice as he points to the first door he passes. "While you are getting comfortable, I will get some snacks from the kitchen." He does not glance back when he leaves the gang standing in the hall.

"Uh…ok." Says Joey to an absent Ryo.

As the group file into the bedroom, Yugi feels his Other Self's desire to communicate.

_"__There is something that he is not telling us, isn't there?"_ Yugi asks Other Yugi.

_"__Yes, although I do not know what. Did you notice when he clenched his hands?" _

Yugi thinks for a moment before responding. _"Yeah, there is a bit more to his sleeping troubles than Bakura is telling us."_

_"__That is not what I was pointing out. He clenched his left hand as well as his right. That certainly had to have hurt, yet he did not respond to it at all."_

Pain would not have been the only issue. The wound should have bled, too. A sense of unease creeps down Yugi's spine.

_"__Is that even possible?"_

_"__As possible as the magic of the Puzzle." _Responds the puzzle spirit.

_"__Do not let your guard down. The Ring Spirit may not have returned, but something else is amiss."_

Yugi nods as he and his friends settle in.

* * *

The second that Ryo enters the kitchen he stops at the door and scans the room for Alister. When Ryo notices Alister leaning against the wall right next to the door, he breathes deeply before speaking.

"I am sorry for my friends behavior. They can be quite reactive sometimes."

Alister just stares at Ryo. The boy stays silent and still for a moment but then steps towards the cupboards. Ryo digs through the contents of one cupboard. It is only after he extracts four bags of pretzels, crackers, and chips that Alister decides to respond.

"I won't tell them anything that's not my business to."

Ryo glances at Alister. At first, the boy's eyes are filled with confusion, but then they clear up.

"Oh, they already know all about the moves and comas, so don't worry about driving them away."

_What the hell are you talking about?_

"When I first moved here, I was worried that the rumors would drive everyone away, but they actually helped me deal with the…problems associated with it." By this time, Ryo has turned his attention to leaving the kitchen, so he does not see the baffled expression on Alister's face.

"Kid, what-"

"It is a good thing that you decided to visit now. They were worried about me living on my own." The boy's voice is significantly louder than Alister's cut off words.

"Having my cousin over will definitely help ease their worries." The smile that Ryo directs in Alister's direction is warm and grateful.

After the boy has left the room, Alister stares at the spot he last was for quite awhile.

_Was that a show for his "friends" or…?_

Alister pushes himself off of the wall the second he hears the bedroom door close. His footsteps are light as he sneaks down the hall. He only stops when he can hear the voices of the adolescents in the bedroom. As he settles in to learn something more about Ryo Bakura, the apparent honesty in the boy's voice and eyes as he spoke in the kitchen plague Alister's mind.

* * *

Joey and Tristan had not stopped apologizing since Ryo entered the room.

"We didn't know he was your cuz."

"Yeah, Yugi here had us all worried he was-"

"And Yugi could have easily been right." Ryo states firmly as he hands them each their own bag of chips. "In fact, I am surprised that I have not had any visits." As he speaks, Ryo gives the bag of crackers to Tea and Miho and offers to share the pretzels with Yugi, who declines.

"It is all right." Ryo continues as both Tristan and Joey are about to speak again. "Alister is not the friendliest of people, so it is not really your fault for making that mistake."

Yugi, who was just about to protest Tristan's statement, switches his focus to Ryo and his responses.

_"__Don't speak yet. I want to continue observing his reactions to the others."_

Due to Other Yugi's interruption, Joey speaks before Yugi has the chance.

"So, Bakura." Joey says between mouthfuls of chips. "Who is your commando cousin, anyway?"

Ryo just stares at Joey. His eyes are a little too wide and a bit too dull for anybody's comfort. It is only when everybody shifts uncomfortably that Ryo speaks.

"Oh, you sort of guessed right about his occupation. He is in the military, actually."

Tea responds next. "So, he's staying with you because…?"

Ryo blinks slowly.

"Alister is on leave, and since he is kind of a black sheep of the family like I am, I am the only one he can stay with." Ryo opens the bag of pretzels that Yugi declined and starts to devour its contents. The group watches him eat while he stares at the ground with unfocused green eyes. Yugi frowns and feels the spirit inside of the puzzle frown, too.

_I-_

"Oh!" Ryo's eyes widen and brighten.

" I almost forgot. There was something I wanted to show all of you."

While Ryo places the now empty bag on the carpet, Miho responds. "What do you have to show Miho, Ryo?"

Tea rolls her eyes at Miho's self-centeredness.

"You'll see." Ryo responds while unwrapping the bandages around his left hand. Once the bandages have been unwrapped, he first holds up his hand with the palm facing the group and then rotates it so that they can see the back of his hand.

"Aah." Joey turns pale at the sight and leans away. Tristan and Tea both gape. Miho leans closer and looks at the wound with utter fascination. Yugi is the only one capable of speech.

"It's… It's almost completely healed… How? It has not even been a week since you received that injury. Wounds like that are supposed to take months to heal over."

Even Ryo looks surprised as he stares at the nearly closed wound.

"Well, when I last looked at it yesterday, it was just not bleeding, and I could not see through my hand any more. This is even farther along than I expected today to be." Ryo smiles in excitement at his discovery.

"How?" Yugi repeats in a quiet voice.

"I do not know. It probably has something to do with the RPG we played. One of the White Wizard's abilities was a minor automatic recovery of his own injuries every turn."

An understanding dawns in Yugi's eyes, yet before he can speak, Joey asks-

"I don't get it. How does a Shadow Game relate to what's happening to your hand, Bakura?" The same nervous confusion that is evident in Joey's voice can be seen in the eyes of the others except for Miho and Yugi.

"Well, I…"

"The minor healing ability of your avatar is manifesting itself in the real world." Says Yugi when he sees Ryo losing steam. The white-haired boy nods.

"How cool!" Miho's voice pierces through the room. "Ryo has super powers now!"

"Or he has been infected by Shadow magic." Mumbles Tristan. Ryo deflates.

"Hey! That wasn't nice." Says Tea. While she smacks the back of Tristan's head with one hand, her voice is sharp enough to cause everyone to wince.

"Tristan, that was mean." Whines Miho.

"Sorry, Miho."

Yugi disappointedly glances at Tristan while trying to comfort Ryo.

"I'm sure it is nothing like that."

_It could be._

Yugi ignores the voice in his head as he continues. "The White Wizard used a type of white magic, right."

"I suppose." Ryo's eyes are still downcast. "I just wanted to know if any of you have shown any talents that your avatars had." Ryo's voice is awfully quiet.

_"__He is going through these mood changes too quickly and extremely."_

_"__I know, but I can't concentrate on that problem until after we cheer up Ryo."_

Yugi thinks that he senses a spike of annoyance towards his response, but if it was there, any trace has already been erased.

"Sorry, Ryo, but I would need to own a sword to test that out." Says Joey. The empty bag in his hands is crunched into a ball at the word "out."

"Guns and other illegal-for-juveniles items are needed to test mine." Says Tristan. He eyes Tea nervously.

Both Yugi and Tea shake their heads.

"I still only have the magic of the Millennium Puzzle."

"I have not shown any odd magical signs, either."

At each comment, Ryo looks more and more disappointed. Miho seems to be grinning more and more at each comment.

"Well, that must mean Ryo and Miho are special." The purple-haired girl claims while sporting a sly smile.

Everyone turns to stare at her.

"Miho has been having a lot of interesting occurrences this past week."

"Really, Miho?" Tristan's voice cracks from its temporarily high pitch.

"Mhmm, mhmm. First, Miho found a hairbrush in her room that she lost months ago the night after the Game."

Tea's expression quickly becomes annoyed.

"Really, Miho? That is just coincidence."

"Two days later, Miho found three hundred dollars just sitting on the ground outside the school gate. Then, the results for the sweepstakes that Miho always likes to enter came back." As she talks, her purple eyes travel from person to person until they settle on Ryo.

"There have been three prizes so far. Miho now has a four thousand dollar coupon for that high-end clothing store a few blocks from Black Rose Academy, two free plane tickets for a month long trip for my mother and I in Paris, and a new Mercedes that Miho will somehow convince her parents to let her drive really, really soon."

There is a long, stunned silence.

"That…Those prizes…There is no way you could have gotten all of them without the Gypsy Luck talent from the game." States Yugi. His already large eyes are nearly popping out of his head now. Ryo looks positively cheerful.

"It makes sense that both you and I would demonstrate some capabilities first, Miho."

Miho glows at the use of her name by her crush. Tristan drops his shocked expression and scowls.

"The Gypsy and Wizard's talents include noticeable passive abilities. If someone like you, Yugi, were to show any powers, it would have to be during certain situations, such as if Yugi was attacked by monsters while he walked to school and reacted instinctively on his taming techniques."

"Or Joey and Tristan would need their respective weapons." Interjects Yugi. His eyes meet Ryo's.

"Exactly." Ryo's smile is at the largest it has been all day.

"Wait, so I might be some Conan now?" Joey's voice is filled with awe.

"Man, give me a sword. I want to have super powers, too." Shouts Joey as he punches one hand in the air.

"Pipe down. I'm sure the neighbors-" Tristan's words are cut off by the ring of the doorbell.

* * *

Alister's feet tread silently as he shoots to the kitchen. He would head towards the front door first, but that might give away the fact that he was camped outside of Ryo's door. Once he reaches the kitchen, the Alister turns around and walks briskly towards the front door. His footsteps are audible. The bedroom door opens right before he passes it, and Ryo steps out of his room. The smaller boy steps past Alister and reaches the front door before him. The boy does not open it right away. Instead, he looks through the eyehole and then glances back at Alister.

"It is probably better if I answer the door for this one."

Alister merely nods in response then steps back. The door opens and reveals a mousy brown haired girl. Her hair is on the verge of being uncontrollable, and its thickness and length are unrivalled by anyone in the apartment. Her skin is a mocha shade. The grin she already wears widens when she sees Ryo, and her eyes glow as she looks up the half-foot or so between her line of sight and his.

"Hey, Ryo." Her voice brims with excitement.

"Hello, Maya." Ryo responds.

Back at the bedroom, Miho tries to discreetly poke her head out the doorway to observe the visitor.

"I don't have long to talk today, since Risa and the others are expecting me to meet them in the park real soon. So, here is the mail." The girl, who Alister judges to be either thirteen or fourteen, pulls out one of the hands that was hidden behind her back to reveal that she holds a stack of four envelopes. Ryo takes them, glances at the top one, and then smiles. Before the girl turns to leave, she points to the letter that Ryo just looked at.

"Her letter arrived two days early this time. I am certain Amane will be happy to hear that later in your response." Standing off to the side and out of sight of the door, Alister stiffens. That was one of the people that the kid was crying about last night, so isn't she dead? A phone call with news from a relative would have travelled far faster than the letter the boy now holds. Alister prepares for the inevitable to happen.

"I am sure she will. Thank you, Maya, for getting the mail again." Ryo says cheerfully while he closes the door.

_Did his mother only die then? Why is he acting so cheerful?_

It is only when the boy freezes and his eyes dart to the empty hall that Alister starts to receive the actions he expects.

* * *

While Ryo closes the front door, he feels a brush of whiteness at the edge of his mind. He knows there is something that he is forgetting about Amane, but he cannot remember what it was. Perhaps it was something he wanted to talk about in his next letter.

_Ryo._

As he looks at the rest of the mail, the fifteen-year-old boy furrows his brow. He thought he heard Mother's voice, but that is impossible. She is still living in Europe.

_Don't do this again, Ryo. Look at me._

The boy stops moving completely. Feelings of ice flow down his back.

_You mustn't forget again. Ryo, look at me._

The voice is coming from the hall, but he cannot look up. That is because-

_Ryo, you cannot hide from this forever. It will kill you. The darkness will consume you like it did to us. Look at me._

-Because Amane and Mother are living in Europe. They are safely living halfway across the world from him.

_Ryo, I want my sons to acknowledge me again, so, please look at me._

The boy's eyes are wide and tormented. His heart pounds in his ears, and his body trembles. The Ring feels like ice against his chest. Why is he wearing the Ring? The heavy whiteness in his head thins and images of rain and bridges and other terrible things try to crawl their way inside his head. He still will not look up.

_Ryo, you cannot run away anymore. You need to know who you are running from. Look at me._

It is just a dream. It cannot be real. He just has to wake up.

_Oh-_

The voice sounds so sad.

_-But you are waking up. My Ryo is finally opening his eyes again, and I see him. I want to see his eyes. I need to see my boy again._

The boy whimpers at the tearful sounds from the voice of his mother. His resolve has broken, but he is scared.

_Be brave. Just look up, Ryo._

The boy looks up into amber eyes. The thing standing in the hallway has blue skin. Oh god, is that a puppet? The monster creaks as it moves and shifts the baby in its arms so that Ryo can see its damaged head and painfully familiar green eyes.

_Its head was damaged from hitting the pavement. _His own mental voice cuts through his head.

He cannot breathe. He cannot breathe because he now knows. That puppet, that monster is…

It creaks and reaches out a hand.

That monster is…

_Mommy._

_"__Run," says a broken, tattered body. "Run," says the person who is practically a corpse._

There is a roaring in his ears from the sound of someone screaming.

_"__I did not mean for you to run forever." _Says the puppet. Says the tattered corpse of a soul.

The hallway melts away to be replaced by the sunlit place, and his mother drifts away to the far end of it.

_"__Come, Ryo. We were just about to redesign your room."_

The important part of Ryo runs down the hall with only two doors and towards his mother. His body, which Alister has been shaking and shouting at to snap out of whatever trance its in and to stop screaming, goes limp and falls into Alister's arms. The important part of Ryo does not hear the calls and shouts of his friends nor does he see them gather around his still breathing body, which Alister slowly lowers to the floor. He does not see anything besides the dark chestnut door in front of him. He does not feel anything but the cool metallic doorknob in his grasp and the hard stone floor touching his bare feet. He does not hear anything except for the click the door makes as he turns the knob and pushes it open.

Behind him, the windows have been replaced by stone walls. The same stone walls that surround a dark iron door.

* * *

The room he enters is white. That really is its defining trait. The walls are white. There are pictures of different colors on all the walls, but they are blurry and barely distinguishable at best, so they do not diminish the whiteness. The pile of blankets and pillows that sit for an unknown reason in the corner are white with traces of light blue throughout them. The plush carpet beneath his feet is actually off-white, but that just adds to the overall brightness of the room. As he walks further into the room, Ryo squints his eyes. It is too bright here in this bedroom. (No, that is not the name for this room, but no label that Ryo can think of fits this odd place.)

The brightness obscures his vision enough that he ends up tripping over some object in his path. As he goes sprawling to the floor, his right foot throbs. For a moment, he lays stunned on the padded floor before turning around to look at what tripped him. A squarish object covered by a white sheet, like the ones people use to cover furniture during cleaning, sits there with his right leg propped over it.

A surge of emotion courses through the boy's body. Instead of the white heaviness of before, a sense of grey dread overtakes Ryo. Pupils dilate and the leg that touches the sheet tingles as if spiders run across it.

_This is wrong. This thing is wrong. Get rid of it. It does not belong here._ His inner voice trembles, as does his body. One blink of an eye later, the boy has pulled his leg away from the sheet-covered object and has ripped off the sheet. A compulsion overtakes him and he finds himself tearing the sheet apart. As white strips of it are torn off, they first turn grey, then black, and then finally disintegrate into ash. By the time all that is left of the sheet is soot on the floor, the boy heaves from his efforts. Wide pale green eyes stare at the uncovered object- a diorama of a mansion with many large windows.

_Wait, this is where Mother, Amane, the baby, and I lived. I rememb-_

The dream he had earlier that day comes rushing back to him in perfect clarity. So does the memories of the bridge and of the horrors he has faced every night for the past few days. As he holds his head against the pain of regained memories, the whiteness of the room seems to brighten and a heavy cloud of forgetfulness descends upon the boy.

_No._

The brightness stops increasing.

_I will not forget this time._

It dims then increases in luminosity again.

_I refuse to let whatever is hidden in this room, in my soul-_

The name for this room finally clicks.

_-Be kept from me. This is my soul room._

The boy looks up. Determination is set in his features. It courses through him, through this room. The overabundance of light reduces to levels lower than when he first entered this room.

_And I refuse to let whatever is intruding into it to hide my own memories, my own life from me._

His quiet, but strong-willed, words cause the white to pulsate. The other sheet-covered objects finally become visible as the sheets covering them turn grey and contrast with the carpet and walls. The white wallpaper starts to peel as if some extreme heat passes by it. The boy finds himself helping whatever power his thoughts had by crawling to the nearest object and tearing at the decaying sheet.

When the boy is finally done, the room is in a chaotic state. The carpet is stained a light grey, and ash particles fall like snow around Ryo. Most of the picture frames on the wall have fallen or been torn off and many have broken glass coverings. The original pictures of these broken frames have been torn out and into pieces, but many had another picture hidden behind them. Although, most of the true pictures are still blurry to Ryo's eyes.

There are objects scattered everywhere throughout the soul room. Some are broken and others are covered in piles of soot. The pillows are a feathered mess, yet the blueish blankets have been folded neatly into a pile in the center of the room. The white wallpaper is still peeling and falling off in chunks off the wall. However, underneath it is a pale blue and lavender pattern wall.

Besides the blankets, the only objects untouched by the chaos sit in the center on top the blankets. Ryo looks over them.

The diorama from earlier is unfolded- revealing every detail within the house. There is one picture leaning against the diorama. It is an ordinary picture of his family. His mother and father are sitting down in it and smiling while Amane and him are being held in place on a lap. It is extremely important. Ryo knows this. Yet, he does not remember the reasons for its importance.

The last object is the case that he made that contains the miniatures of his friends. Warmth radiates from it. It is the only warmth in this cold room, so Ryo stands close to it. He kneels down next to it and reaches one hand out to it. When the boy's fingers brush its surface, the room around him disappears and Ryo falls back into himself.


	4. Chapter 4

"I told you already," Snarls Alister. "He was just looking at the mail and I was standing over there when he suddenly looked up and started screaming." Alister may be omitting some information. Before the boy even looked up, the green stone that Alister always wears had started glowing, but that had only been in response to some form of energy. The orichalcos stone had probably not caused any ill effects in the boy. Probably.

"Yeah, he started screaming for no reason while you were standing right there, and because of some odd occurrence, his unconscious body happened to be in your arms when we ran into the room," Says Tristan from his position by the couch and on the opposite side of the room from Alister. Joey, who has taken it upon himself to stand right next to Alister and glare at him, decides to contribute to the conversation.

"I found you fishy from the start. I doubt you're even his cousin."

Tristan steps away from his spot to join Joey in his guard duty.

"Yeah, and how come he did not mention you were coming to visit, because, usually, family does not just pop out of the blue like that?" Tristan's snarl and accompanying words are mostly for Miho's benefit. Whatever she saw happen in the hallway has caused her to completely withdraw into herself as she sits on the floor right next to the couch. Her quiet state has worked Tristan into a frenzy.

"GUYS, SHUT IT," Snaps Tea from her spot kneeling in front of the couch. "Whether Alister is telling the truth or not, it is not going to help us figure out what happened to Bakura and how to fix it if you continue your little macho fit."

The two fall silent at Tea's words and glance at the still figure on the couch. As he lays there, Ryo Bakura looks as though he is only sleeping and not in some unwakeable coma-like state. He has been like that for fifteen minutes.

"His name is Ryo." Mumbles a voice next to the couch. Almost everyone, except for the spiky-haired teen standing a little to the right of Tea, stares at Miho.

"He is our friend, so we should call him by his first name." Miho's eyes are downcast as she talks quietly enough to cause the others to lean towards her in order to hear.

"I agree with Miho." States Yugi who has finally finished conversing with the Puzzle Spirit about this matter. "Ryo is our friend. I mean, he practically died for us in Monster World."

The gang is silent in the wake of Yugi's words. One by one they nod in agreement.

Yugi walks over to Miho and stops in front of her.

"Miho, could you tell us what exactly you saw. You were the only one to see what happened, so you're the only one that can shed light on this whole mess." Yugi's tone is comforting and his eyes are kind. Miho looks directly into his eyes.

"I didn't just see something. I felt it, too." She becomes silent for a moment.

"Ryo was happily looking through whatever that girl gave him, and then the hallway started getting a little cold. Once that happened, Ryo started looking more and more terrified, and the hall kept getting colder and colder until I could only see my breath. Once that happened, Ryo looked up, but he didn't look at me. He…He was staring at something near his end of the hall. He looked so scared. Then, he screamed and I didn't know what to do because he looked so scared."

The end of Miho's story is met by a deafening silence.

"You're saying that he saw some kind of ghost," Says an extremely pale Joey.

Some emotion flickers within Alister's eyes.

_"__He knows something. Let me out."_

Yugi does not see any reason not to comply with his Other's request. However, he is concerned by the eagerness in his Other's voice.

_"__Even if he is hiding something, we don't know for sure that Ryo's current state is Alister's doing. He could know something, yet be hiding it to protect Ryo._

A sense of annoyance radiates from the one within Yugi.

_"__I understand that. However, whether his intentions are good or ill, we need to know the reason behind Ryo's current state if we are to have a chance of helping him. In order to do that, we need to extract that information from Alister."_

The word extract causes a sense of alarm from within Yugi. However, before he can protest, his Other Self takes control.

_"__Hey!"_

_"__I am sorry, but I needed to capitalize on this moment."_

Red eyes zero in on Alister, who is staring at the boy who just grew a foot taller. The man's eyes are wide and he looks as though he wants to take several steps back. He holds his ground.

The darker voice of the Other Yugi slides through the air.

"You know one of the causes behind Ryo's state." It is not a question. Alister merely clenches his fists in response. Dartz warned him of the merciless Pharaoh, so it is not good that he has been drawn into a confrontation with the dark ruler. Reaching the seal of orichalcos card before the Pharaoh could strike is unlikely.

"Please," The nicety sounds mocking. "Tell us what you know of our friend's predicament. Lying or avoiding the full truth is unadvisable."

The room's temperature drops several degrees. Alister narrows his eyes. It is beyond risky to continue to play the role of the boy's cousin, especially with a trigger happy five thousand year old spirit staring him down ready to unleash shadow magic if he so much as twitches wrong.

"I don't know much." Alister begins. "I'm not his cousin, so I do not know much about him." Both Tristan and Joey move towards Alister.

"I knew it. H-" The Dark Yugi holds up his hand to stop their advances and to silence their words.

"I will handle this." Red eyes glance at the two before refocusing on Alister. "Please, continue."

Alister stares for a moment before complying.

"I have only known him since last night. After I found him wandering around in the rain, I helped him-" Other Yugi interrupts.

"I said that lying and half truths are unadvisable. You do not have any more chances after this one." The chilled tone has the entirety of the room on edge, and almost everyone, except Alister, holds their breath in anticipation. Alister clenches his jaw before continuing.

"Fine, I was minding my own business last night by the bridge when out of the rain, some kid ran past me, climbed up onto the ledge, and jumped off." Alister ignores the gasps from the group and the look of shock on the dark spirit's face.

"After I dragged him out of the water and got his heart beating again, I managed to drag him back to his apartment, made sure he didn't die from hypothermia in the night- which he does not seem to remember. And ever since breakfast, he has been acting weird, although I don't know how he usually acts, but he seems distraught over that Amane girl that he received a letter from. If his words from last night are anything to go by, then she's dead."

Once Alister finishes speaking, there is no moment of silence. Only words that ring through the air and that reflect most of the inhabitants' true feelings on the matter.

"You're lying." Before she has finished speaking, Miho has pushed herself to her feet. She does not walk over to Alister, but instead, chooses to stand by Tea and glare at the false cousin.

"You're lying. Ryo would never…would never try to do something like that. He is too strong and too brave and he is happy, too. If he wasn't, then how come he smiled so much at school and at the arcade on Friday?"

"Yeah," Joey pipes in. "To expect us to believe something like that is ridiculous." Joey's fists clench. "Whatever you're trying to pu-"

"He is not lying." Other Yugi's voice is low and his eyes study the floor. The silence hurts. It does not make sense. What had they done wrong to miss their friend's decline? How had they let Ryo slip away from them?

Other Yugi looks up at Alister and then his gaze travels to Ryo.

Everyone has questions, but no one can even muster the simple ability to speak except…

"You mean he almost died last night," Mutters Tea. Before she can say anymore, there is a tricolored blur as Other Yugi moves to Ryo's side. He reaches down with one hand and grabs the piece of rope that had only a small near unnoticeable part visible above the boy's blue shirt collar. Other Yugi moves the other hand under the unconscious one's head to lift it slightly and then pulls off the Ring in one smooth motion.

While being careful not to touch the actual gold part, the Spirit of the Puzzle glares at the offensive object. The rest of the group stares at it with identical expressions of horror.

_Ryo would have never put that back on of his own free will._

The Other Yugi's grip tightens at his lighter half's words.

_"__I-"_

Ryo comes gasping back into the world of the living. Wild, unfocused eyes travel the room, and the boy flinches at the closeness of some unknown…Oh, Yugi.

Ryo relaxes and his breathing slows to a normal rate. He closes his eyes again, but this time it seems that he is simply trying to orient himself.

"Ryo-"

"You're awake-"

"Why were you wearing the Ring? That-"

"I was so worried-"

Only the Other Yugi, Alister, and an overwhelmed Ryo are silent amongst the maelstrom of questions. The expression of annoyance on Alister's face increases greatly the more Ryo looks overwhelmed by the questioning.

"ALL OF YOU. SHUT UP. The kid just woke up from passing out. He does not need to be bombarded with questions right after that." Alister's words bring a cloud of silence to the room.

Except for Ryo and Other Yugi, everyone stares at Alister. Ryo, who has finally collected himself, looks at the ceiling with darkened eyes. The Other Yugi watches Ryo.

"Why did you put on the Ring? Were you forced?" The last question originated in Yugi's thoughts.

"Yeah, man." Tristan intrudes on the exchange. "Did the Spirit come back and force you to put it on?"

Alister snarls at the two questioners. "I said no-"

"I wasn't forced." Says Ryo. His gaze travels to the Ring. He refuses to look at anyone in particular.

"Then, why?" The Other Yugi's red gaze bores into Ryo. The boy does not seem to notice.

"I wanted it to stop. I… I did not want to have to watch my…" Ryo falls silent. He pushes himself up to a sitting position on the couch. His eyes are empty, soulless.

"There has been something happening this past week that I have been trying to talk to you about, but I have kept forgetting." Ryo's voice is as empty as his eyes.

"If the Spirit has been preventing you from communicating with us-"

"No." Ryo meets the Other Yugi's eyes. "It isn't the Ring Spirit. Every night since a day after Monster World, I have had nightmares about the past. The morning after, I would wake up with every intention to tell all of you about them. By the time I got to school, the memory of those nightmares would have faded away, and I would only have the desire to hang out with all of you. The next night, I would remember the nights before, and the cycle would start again." Ryo has still not broken his gaze from the Other Yugi.

"Last night was the first night that I put on the Ring. I had wanted an explanation for them. I needed to know that they were just illusions. I needed alleviation from them. When I did not receive either of those things, I tried to…"

"But why, Ryo?" Miho's voice starts quiet, yet it rises and breaks with her next words. "Why would you do something like that? You could have called us before it got so bad that you… What nightmare could possibly make you turn your back on the freedom you fought for from that thing? Why would you try to…"

At first, Ryo does not respond. Instead, he turns his body so that his feet are touching the floor and then stands. He walks over to the pile of mail that he dropped and that no one bothered to pickup.

"Because they're dead."

He bends down, picks up the top letter, and straightens back to standing. Once he has looked at the return address, he turns back to face his friends.

"Who-" Tea's question dies when she sees the emptiness of her friend.

"My mother and my and a brother that I forgot. They are all dead. I have been seeing fragmented images of them dying over and over each night." His voice slowly descends into despair. He glances at the letter before continuing.

"I have been remembering my family's deaths for almost a week, except they died six years ago." Tears start to fall from Ryo's eyes.

"The irony of it is that I have been receiving l…letters from Amane for years, so she… she should not be dead. But she is…" As the letter slides through his fingers to the floor, the boy sinks to his knees. His head is bowed.

Tea, Joey, and Tristan are frozen in place with expressions of horror. Even though she covers her mouth with both hands, a whimper still escapes Miho as her eyes fill with tears. Alister stands off to the side. His eyes are shadowed and his expression unreadable. His arms are crossed and his fists are clenched.

The Other Yugi stands completely still. He does not know what his reaction should be to this.

_"__Let me out." _

Yugi thinks in mimicry of his Other's earlier thoughts. The dark half mentally steps aside.

Yugi moves forward. There are tears forming in his eyes, but he blinks them away before reaching Ryo and kneeling next to him. At first, the broken child does not acknowledge the arms that wrap around him and that try to add warmth to his cold, cold world.

As he hugs Ryo, Yugi does not say anything at all. The boy eventually reacts by breaking down completely. He curls into Yugi and sobs for the second time in less than a day.

* * *

Even though Yugi tries to quietly shut the door to Ryo's bedroom, it still clicks softly. Although he doubts he woke up Ryo, Yugi winces at the slight possibility. The small boy creeps lightly through the hallway to the living room, where Joey and Alister stand far from each other and Tristan sits on a couch. They all look towards Yugi when he enters their peripheral visions.

"How is he?" Alister's voice borders on demanding. Joey remains silent and almost completely still while Tristan glances at Alister as if he is questioning his reasons for asking.

"Sleeping." As he talks, Yugi's weariness shows in his slouched shoulders. "It took a while, but he finally settled down enough to rest." Yugi deflates.

"I do not know what good it will do if he has those dreams tonight." After Yugi speaks, he notices Tristan look past him as though looking for something. "Miho and Tea are still by him. Miho refuses to leave his side and Tea thought it would be best to provide them company." Yugi and Tristan's eyes meet.

"How are those two and you holding up?"

Yugi sighs.

"Miho's been crying for a bit and Tea has hardly spoken. I…I'm alright compared to Ryo." Yugi looks to the ground. Except for trembling and clenched fists, Joey is still silent and still. Tristan shifts before asking another question.

"I know the spirit blocked the memories in the first place, but why now? Why is Ryo remembering now?"

The question causes Yugi to look up.

"Other Me thinks that the memory block operated on the same or similar magic that trapped people into figurines. If that is the case, then when the Ring Spirit was defeated in the RPG, the power that blocked Ryo's memories disappeared for the same reason as the spell that locked people's souls into dolls."

As Yugi's words come to an end, Joey finally moves from his position. However, instead of acknowledging Yugi's explanation, the tall adolescent heads towards the front door. As he opens the door and leaves, Joey is silent.

"Hey, man, where are you going?" Before Tristan finishes the question, Joey disappears. Yugi looks distraught.

"Joey!" Yugi winces at the volume of his own voice before heading after his missing friend. Tristan starts to get up until a look of understanding passes on his face. Alister narrows his eyes.

"Aren't you going after him?" The hostile tone causes Tristan to glare back with suspicion heavy in his eyes.

"No." He pointedly settles deeper into the couch cushion. "I all ready know what is irritating him, and, frankly, I would just rile him up more. Yugi, on the other hand, might be able to settle him down."

Alister shows interest by a slight decrease in the hostility of his glare.

"He has a younger sister, so-" Tristan stops explaining when he sees understanding in the other's eyes. "Ah, so you're an older sibling too." It does not make Tristan more comfortable around the guy, but his threatening air diminishes. Alister's darker look of before returns.

"Was." Alister leaves the room for the kitchen.

Tristan sits in a heavy silence. From the corner that it had been placed in, the Ring stares at him.

* * *

"Joey, wait." As Yugi enters the stairwell after his friend, Joey does not seem to hear him. The taller one has already made it half way down to the next landing.

"Joey."

When Joey reaches the landing, he turns, rears back, and punches the wall. The blonde's breaths come out in harsh gasps. His face is tinged red, and his eyes possess a fire to them. Yugi freezes in place.

"That bastard." The voice has dangerous intent. "What kind of monster could do that?" The voice growls. Joey punches the wall again. "Could kill someone's family, someone's little sister, and mess with their head to the point that he does not even remember?" The voice has grown loud and spiked. It echoes throughout the stairwell.

"We don't know if the Spirit killed-" Yugi's voice is cut off by the full brunt of Joey's fiery gaze.

"Why else would he erase his memories?" If it was just some car accident, why would he go through the trouble of hiding it so thoroughly?"

_"__He does have a point. Normal deaths would have given the Spirit the opportunity to manipulate a grieving child into clinging to him."_

Yugi's eyes widen and his breath catches at the horror of the situation. The fiery look on Joey's face disappears as Yugi slides to his knees.

"Yugi." Joey moves forward.

"It isn't fair." The boy sniffles and finally allows, for the first time in hours, a few tears to escape.

"We thought we were helping Ryo to escape some evil and to not have to worry about hurting his friends and family anymore. But, instead we hurt him. Now, he is suffering through a greater darkness than before and he… lost the will to even continue on."

Joey kneels down to Yugi's level and places his hands on Yugi's shoulders.

"Listen, Yugi, nobody knew what was really going on underneath the surface, so it isn't your fault or anybody's fault that this is the way it turned out." Joey's voice has lost the dangerous elements within it and has instead turned comforting.

"What we did was the right thing to do, even if it hurt Ryo. He might have spent his whole life wondering why he never visited his family while some sick fiend wrote fake letters." Joey's voice harshens for a few words before adopting a calm tone again.

"You're right." Yugi nods. Determination sparks in his purple eyes, and he stands. "It would have been worse the other way."

_"__This means that the work we started in Monster World isn't anywhere near finished yet."_

Yugi nods in response to his Other Self. To Joey, Yugi says. "Come on, let's go back upstairs. There are better ways to help Ryo than sitting here and stewing."

As Yugi turns and walks up the stairs, Joey follows. They leave the stairwell within a minute.

Within the shadows a few landings below where they used to be, a girl with near uncontrollable hair leans against the wall, slides to the ground, covers her mouth with her hand, and sobs. Maya ends up staying in a curled ball for the next three hours.

* * *

The ash from his soul room surrounds Ryo. Occasionally, a pile here or there will be moved or be completely blown away by some unfelt wind. Ryo does not notice any of this. He lays on top of the large folded blue bordered blankets from before. The boy shifts in his sleep and curls up closer to the only objects free of soot. The soul room melts away as he slips into his memories.

_"__I hate it."_

_"__He isn't an it, he is an Eric." Amane looks up at her older brother. Her hands are placed on her hips and the sternness in her eyes is so much like Mother._

_"__I hate him, then." The tone of Bakura's voice is harsh. His glare focuses on the creature-baby- that Amane and he had been instructed to watch while Mother and the guard are at the store. The baby coos at them from his crib._

_"__Well, Ryo adores him, so why don't you let him take control." Amane huffs. Bakura's glare turns to her._

_"__He is sleeping, again." _

_Disappointment crosses Amane's face._

_"__It's been three days."_

_"__I know." Bakura snaps. "But you know I cannot wake him up and besides," Bakura's glare shifts to the baby. "He should not get attached to something that I will get rid of." There is a flash of canines as the darker one grins. The shadows creep and curl around him._

_"__Mom would cry." Amane's voice is steady as she moves to stand in front of him._

_Hesitation flickers across his features and the shadows creep back. The baby starts crying while the room brightens again. Confusion appears on both children's faces until Bakura feels a nudge at the back of his mind. The nudge becomes a full out shove, and he loses control._

_Ryo steps forward, picks up the distressed baby, and rocks it in his arms._

_"__There, there, Mommy will be home soon."_

_From within a dark iron rimmed doorway, Bakura stares out in surprise. That was the first time Ryo had __ever__ stole control. Amber eyes narrow. If Ryo favored the thing that much, perhaps the infant creature could stay. As he realizes something, the boy leans back into his room. Ryo was not awake when Mother left. That means that he must have looked into Bakura's memories. The room grows cooler._

While the dream fades, Ryo moves in his sleep. A bit more of the soot has disappeared. The boy grows still as he sinks back into the realm of dreams.

_It is sticky. No matter how many times he runs his hands through his hair, they emerge covered in that red stickiness. If it was just from the man, then it should have been dried by now. It had been more than an hour since that worm died._

_"__Mom," He says over the mumbled words of the white-haired woman. "I am bleeding." Bakura uses his hands to feel his head for the exact spot of the injury. His mother, who has been digging with an orange handled shovel for the past fifteen minutes, does not acknowledge his words and instead keeps talking to herself or maybe to him. Bakura cannot tell._

_"__Your uncle finally responded to those letters that I sent him." She finishes digging and crawls out of the hole before she continues speaking._

_"__He is going to help us, get us into a proper home with a proper life." Her lower lip is trembling yet her hands are steady when she drags a large elongated black bag to the hole and pushes it in."_

_"__Mom-"_

_"__You won't have to take such extreme measures to protect us. You and Amane could concentrate on being children, and Ryo can have all the time he needs to recover." The woman's movements are frantic as she shovels back dirt into the hole._

_"__I could be a good mother again and could raise the baby in a good stable home."_

_Bakura's eyes darken._

_"__You're not going to keep it." He hisses. He looks pointedly at the hole. "He hurt you. You shouldn't have to keep the scars." _

_She still does not hear him._

_"__My brother's an archeologist. He might have uncovered something that could help you." After she speaks, Bakura does not even try to finish his sentence. Instead, he sways._

_"__Mom, he really hit my head hard…" The world darkens. When he opens his eyes again, Bakura is being carried back to the car._

_"__Please wake up. Please." There are tears in her voice. _

_"__I'm fine…" His speech slurs, yet his mind remains clear. Not for the first time, he curses this weak body._

_"__I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let him do this to you. I shouldn't have let him hurt you." The woman is not talking about the man buried in the earth behind them._

_The name and face of the one she speaks of eludes Bakura's thoughts. That is odd. He usually remembers everything in such clear detail._

_"__Mom, I'm cold. Where are we?" Ryo's voice drifts through the air. They reach the car._

_"__Ryo, honey, it is okay." The woman's voice cracks. "We were just about to drive home." She places the immobile boy in the front passenger seat._

_"__Mmmmm… Ok. I'm… tired." The boy's eyes flutter shut._

_"__Ryo, stay awake. Please, wake up." The woman moves to the driver seat. "Bakura, can you wake up?"_

_The car starts._

_"__Trying…" The word is almost inaudible._

_"__Wake up." The words echo through the dreamscape._

The boy turns onto his back.

_"__Wake up."_

His eyelids flutter, yet do not open.

_"__You have had enough. Wake up."_

Green eyes open. Their vision is blurred until they focus on the amber eyes right above them. The creature creaks as it leans closer to Ryo's face. Its blue features inches away from Ryo. The boy opens his mouth to scream, and his muscles tense as he prepares to jerk away from the puppet creature. Ryo falls back into the waking world before he can truly react. He manages to resist the urge to scream while lying in the pile of bedding. The tension remains in his body.

* * *

It is difficult exiting his room. Miho sleeps on the floor next to Ryo's bed. Most of the extra blankets and pillows are cushioned around her. Tea, who lies next to Miho, has managed to steal the remaining few pieces of bedding for herself. Ryo cannot step over both of them. Joey is sprawled out on the floor at the other side of the bed. He moves too frequently. Tristan is curled up at the foot of the bed. His new trench coat is balled up under his head. Yugi sleeps while leaning against the wall. He obviously fell asleep keeping watch.

Even though Ryo feels mostly cold, warmth sparks within him. They all stayed to watch over him. His friends who he almost left… Guilt surrounds the warmth. It sinks within his stomach and claws up his throat. The swell of the negative emotion makes him want to barf. Ryo needs to leave the room in order to deal with this. In order to think about this.

Since Tristan appears to be the easiest one to sneak past, Ryo carefully sneaks to the foot of his bed and steps off. As he places his foot on the carpet, his left foot is inches away from Tristan's face. To Ryo's surprise, it is easy to keep his balance just on the ball of his left foot as he pushes off his bed and manages to get both feet on the floor without falling.

_"__That isn't fair, Kitty. I couldn't climb up there." _

_The boy grins from his position on the roof half hanging over the side. His sister looks up at him from the third story window. _

_"__You did not specify any limits to this game of hiding." The boy says with a wicked grin._

Ryo staggers. His hands clutch his head, and one foot nearly steps on Tristan's face. The whimper that escapes does not cause any human to stir within the room. The shadows are a different matter.

The moment the disorientation from the memory has subsided, Ryo flees the room with silent footsteps. Instead of running to the front door like he did yesterday night, Ryo walks briskly to the kitchen. Even after he crosses the doorway, one hand is placed on the upper right part of his face and covers one eye. His other eye is narrowed, and sweat trickles down his face.

"Rough night?" The voice from the table causes Ryo to jump. A yelp almost escapes him as he whirls around towards the source of the words. Alister sits at the kitchen table. His grey eyes are focused on Ryo, yet one hand is held above a deck of cards, like he was just about to draw the top one. His trench coat is draped over the back of the chair. Ryo is silent. He swallows, opens his mouth to speak, and then closes it again.

"You don't have to talk about it." Alister says once it is clear that Ryo would take quite some time to speak. "I couldn't handle talking for quite some time." The words barely reach Ryo's ears.

Alister looks down and draws a card. A lash of disappointment crosses his face.

"Could…couldn't talk about what?" Ryo is still sweating and trembling. He wants to run away again, but instead he sits down on the chair opposite of Alister. The red head looks up.

"When my little brother died, I couldn't talk about anything for weeks without verbally tearing someone apart."

Ryo audibly gasps.

"Sorry, I-"

"It's fine. I wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't bearable." If his voice was not so calm, his simmering grey eyes would say other wise. Alister looks down and draws a card. A glint of excitement appears in his eyes before he draws another.

"It…It's bearable?" Ryo's voice shakes.

Alister does not look at the card he drew; instead his gaze focuses on Ryo.

"Still hurts every day. But I found ways to live with it." Alister's expression hardens and his eyes turn tempestuous.

"That happened after I found a purpose. A goal to pursue." Ryo does not notice the clenched fist on the table. The words Alister speaks and his expressions captivate too much of the boy's attention. Alister's face relaxes before Ryo can comment. The red head draws his next card. Silence persists for a minute until-

"Are those Duel Monsters?" Ryo cannot comment on the previous subject. The memories he just gained still burn, and his body feels too cold. Alister glances at him. He does not push the previous topic.

"Do you play?" The young man truly sounds curious.

"No. Not yet. Yugi does and he is really good." Ryo's voice has lost some of its trembling.

"I know. I watched him beat Kaiba." There is a hard edge to Alister's tone when he says the name of Yugi's adversary.

"Are you sorting your cards?" Ryo pretends not to notice Alister's reaction to a name. Alister's expression becomes blank. The older one suddenly looks away. Ryo can swear that he sees a faint pink tinge to the other's cheeks.

"I am trying to draw certain cards." The words are mumbled. Understanding dawns on Ryo's face.

"Oh, I do that with dice."

_Bakura rolls the die one final time in this game. Amane complains loudly as it produces yet another super critical._

_"__You're really mean sometimes, Big Brother."_

When Ryo next opens his eyes, his head lays against the table. His hand clenches his head, and Alister's hand is on Ryo's shoulder.

"I am fine." The voice is monotonous as it overrides Alister's questions. Alister begins to move away. Ryo's voice gains a sound of desperation.

"No, stay there, please." Alister stops moving and listens to Ryo's ragged, gasping breaths. His hand stays on the boy's shoulder for the rest of the night.

Lurking in the hallway, a shadow watches. Three golden eyes of light sneak occasional glances in the room as it listens to the conversations between the two damaged individuals. There is a creak just outside the front door, and the spiky-haired shadow rushes to the front door in seconds. A peek through the spy hole reveals a girl with near uncontrollable hair and with a hand a few inches away from knocking. The shadow does not move and the girl, who has a tear-stained face, does not knock. She shuffles away after a few minutes. The shadow retracts down the dark path it created and back into the bedroom where Yugi lies sleeping. After it contorts itself back into its normal shape, the Dark Yugi ponders the pieces that he has gained from these observations.


	5. Chapter 5

Tea is the first to wake. While she tries to muster the energy to move, her blurry gaze aimlessly wanders the room. It finally settles on Miho, who is sleeping comfortably on her mound of bedding. Aches in Tea's shoulders and back cause her to wince. Two pillows and a blanket are not enough for sleeping on the floor. Tea looks away from Miho in annoyance although the annoyance disappears when she recalls the reasons behind her night on the floor.

The girl pushes herself up. As she stands, a dull ache travels through her muscles, but she ignores that to check on Ryo in his bed.

The bed is empty.

Tea's breath catches, and she almost shouts out. However, she is distracted when the door to the bedroom clicks then opens. The dancer takes several steps back. A tall bulky figure stands in the doorway. Tea breathes hard and fast as she backs against the wall. Because the adrenaline kicks in, the last of the blurriness fades from Tea's eyes. The shadowed shape of the man comes into focus as Tea opens her mouth to shout her friends awake. Instead, she visibly relaxes.

Alister stands in the doorway. He looks at her with sharp eyes but then softens his gaze when he focuses on the sleeping boy in his arms. Alister enters the room and walks towards Tea. The calm Tea felt at realizing that it was not a complete stranger dissipates when Alister brings Ryo closer. The dark circles under his eyes are so pronounced, and he is paler than ever before.

When Alister nears her, Tea moves out of his way to the bed. As Alister steps over Miho and lays Ryo on the bed, Tea almost touches Ryo in a comforting gesture. However, when she thinks about accidently waking the exhausted boy, the urge vanishes.

Alister steps away and walks out of the room. A brief hesitation occurs before Tea follows him out of the room. They walk to the kitchen where Alister sits back down at the table and continues looking at his cards.

As she turns the main light on and switches off the stove light, Tea says nothing. The girl walks over to the fridge and starts rifling through the freezer and fridge compartments. Ordinarily, the few bags of frozen vegetables, the TV dinners, and the lack of raw ingredients in the fridge would bother her, yet she feels nothing as she takes stock of her options. After a few minutes, she moves her search to the cabinets and cupboards. She takes a few items out, and places them on the counter.

"Thank you." Her voice is clear and moderate in volume. When Alister looks at her, she has placed a kettle, with melting butter in it, on the stove and is cutting up the only unfrozen vegetable- a single onion- in the house. Alister is silent.

"Thank you for helping him so far. If you hadn't he would not be here right now." Her voice trembles near the end of the sentence. Her cutting remains steady. Alister considers his next words.

"Don't thank me. Any decent human being would have done the same." He does not go back to his cards quite yet. There is a long silence until Tea dumps the onion into the pan.

"How was he last night when the rest of us were sleeping?" She avoids any personal questions.

"More nightmares." Alister pauses. "He's the only one who should tell you about them. However, I can say that he did talk about normal things, too. He is trying not to have a repeat of yesterday."

Plastic bags tear and frozen peas and corn mix are tossed into the pan. Time crawls. It is only when it is time to dump instant noodles into boiling water that Tea speaks.

"Are you going to be staying here for long?"

Alister picks up his cards and responds.

"All of you have school, so yes." He stands up and snatches his trench coat from over the back of the chair. He turns to leave.

"Where are you going?" Tea takes her eyes off the food to watch Alister.

"My hotel. I need to pick up my stuff before I'm checked out." He disappears before she can respond.

* * *

Joey and Tristan decide to skip school and going home. For a moment, Tea feels jealousy at them for their capability to stay. For varying reasons, Miho, Yugi, and her cannot. Yugi's grandpa is probably quite concerned. Death-T is still fresh in his mind, so any disappearance of his grandson could be caused by a vengeful Kaiba. After he explains the situation to his grandpa, Yugi is certain that he will be back within a few hours.

It is almost guaranteed that Miho's mother has already called the school. When Tea asks, Miho admits that she does not know when she will return. However, the look in her violet eyes says that she will be back before the end of the day. Tea herself promises she will not stay out for long.

As he mechanically eats his lightly cheesed noodle dish, Ryo remains silent for most of the conversation. The boy only speaks when he is handing Yugi his school bag that he almost forgot in his haste. The look in her ailing friend's eyes causes Tea to vow to only take an hour away from Ryo. She can easily call her parents from Yugi's place. A simple half truth about an ill friend should be enough to allow her to skip school for the day.

* * *

Silence reigns on most of the walk to the Game Shop.

_It is not that I don't want to ask Yugi about how he is taking Ryo's…situation. It is just that...Yugi is the type of person to feel everything his friends are feeling, so he is certainly not taking the situation well. If only I could comfort him, talk to him. However, I don't want it to look like I am concentrating more on Yugi than Ryo lest Yugi might feel guilty that he is being comforted instead of his friend who suffers more. I guess it is just safer to stay silent. If Yugi wants to talk, he will._

"Do you trust Alister?"

Tea's thoughts come to a halt while Yugi's quiet yet stable voice travels through the air. She had not thought Yugi would ask that question, and her surprise causes her to hesitate for a minute.

"Tea?" Yugi looks from the sidewalk to her for the first time this walk. His eyes are purple instead of the red she would have associated with a question of that nature.

"Oh yeah, I guess." Tea winces at her own unsure tone and tries again.

"I mean, I do believe that Alister does not want to harm Ryo and that he does not want him to die. He did dive off of a bridge to save him." Tea swallows but then walks with more confidence. "I am not saying that I trust him at everything. He could be a car thief while being someone who values human life. Also, he is not the best at conversations, but he might just be angry at us for letting Ryo fall that far."

After she finishes, Yugi stays silent until the Game Shop comes into view.

"I wouldn't blame him if he is." His voice grows quieter.

"It isn't your fault." Tea almost stops Yugi to comfort him in some way, but his next words cause her to hesitate until they are already through the Game Shop door.

"In some ways it is not, but it is in others. We should have been paying more attention to Ryo. We should have known. But complaining and regretting it now won't do anything. We have to put our efforts into helping him." His tone is strong. His eyes are determined.

Nothing Tea can say would be an adequate response to that, so she stays silent.

* * *

The small tricolored hair boy tries to open the shop's door quietly, but the bell above the door jiggles. Both Tea and Yugi freeze and strain their ears to listen. Judging from the lack of footsteps coming down the stairs or a voice echoing from behind the counter, Mr. Muto was probably still asleep. As Tea sneaks past the shelves to the phone by the counter, Yugi breathes a sigh of relief. Perhaps his grandpa fell asleep before it got too late, and Yugi could pretend he had been at home for the night.

The adolescent steps forward.

"Well there, young man, do you want to explain yourself?" A short ominous figure appears from the shadows of a shelf just behind Tea. With a shriek, she spins around and stumbles back. Yugi merely squeaks in surprise. With amethyst eyes focused solely on his grandson and with lips set in a hard, thin line, Solomon Muto waits for Yugi to speak.

"Well, Grandpa, I was…"

Solomon loses patience with Yugi's stammering.

"Mr. Muto, I do not think you fully realize the gravity of your late night expedition."

"Grandpa-" Yugi pales.

"Now, what sort of punishment is fit for this?" Solomon claps his hands together. Yugi flinches.

"I know. How about you tell me all about your adventures with your friends." The sternness evaporates to be replaced by a goofy grin and an excited voice. It is only when his grandpa chuckles heartily that Yugi realizes that the old man was messing with him.

"Grandpa! That wasn't funny." Yugi flushes a deep red. As her heart rate decreases, Tea sighs in exasperation and rolls her eyes.

"Ho, ho, ho, on the contrary, it rather is."

Yugi looks down. Instead of eventually grinning and laughing like he normally would during these jokes, he frowns and says. "Grandpa, that wasn't funny."

Solomon stops laughing and studies his grandson through knitted eyebrows. "Yugi, what's the matter?"

Yugi does not look up. Tea frowns, and the mix of frustration and amusement at the joke evaporates.

"Something really bad happened last night and I don't know what to do."

Solomon immediately steps forward and tries to look into his grandson's eyes.

"Did something happen to Joey, Tristan, or Miho?" Mr. Muto's eyes gain a sharper edge. "Was it Kaiba again?"

"No, it was Ryo Bakura. He is a recent transfer student."

"Did he bully-"

"No, it's…" Yugi only trails off once before he tells his grandpa everything, starting from his and Ryo's first meeting weeks ago to the events of Monster World to the horrifying truths so recently discovered. For most of the conversation, Yugi's voice remains steady, but it quavers when he tells about the deaths that Ryo had just remembered. The adolescent trembles at the end of his words. His grandfather's eyes are shadowed and a frown has appeared on his face. In the background, Tea barely stops herself from crying.

"After that, he tried to…he nearly died, Grandpa. Even though the spirit is gone, I don't know how to fix-"

"Do you have it?"

Yugi looks up in confusion.

"The Ring. I assume that you removed it from the poor boy's house."

Yugi blinks away the tears that were forming and responds. "Yeah. I have it in my bag here." He reaches to grab his school bag from the floor.

"May I see it?"

_"__Why is Grandpa's voice so detached?"_

As Yugi opens and rifles through his bag, he feels confusion at the thoughts of the puzzle spirit.

"Umm, it's somewhere in here. I thought it was near the top. Just a minute." Yugi rifles through his bag a bit more. He does not notice his grandfather get up and leave. However, Tea gets a glimpse of his expression as he walks past her and into the back room. A shiver goes up her spine at the look that lurks in amethyst eyes. When Yugi's search grows frantic, Tea walks over to help him look. Before they finish searching, Solomon returns with a single sheet of paper.

"Yugi, it is not in your bag." Yugi does not look up from his search. Tea does and regrets it. The haunted look in Solomon's eyes makes her think of the feeling of dread she gets when she reads a tragic tale that she can predict the unhappy ending of. The girl shivers when Solomon's eyes meet hers. He shakes his head slightly and the look in his eyes changes to simple seriousness.

"Yes it is. I put it in here myself."

Solomon steps closer.

"Did this Bakura boy have your bag at any point?"

Yugi stops searching and looks up. "Yes, but what does that have to do with-"

"Then he most likely took it before you left."

Yugi's eyes grow wide.

"Ryo wouldn't do something like that." Yugi's high-toned voice echoes through the room. His grandpa only reacts by holding up the piece of paper. Yugi and Tea stare at it. An illustration of the Millennium Ring stares back.

"That's the Ring, Grandpa. How did you already know what it looks like?"

Solomon folds the paper and slides it into a pocket before answering

"The Millennium Ring is legendary among _certain_ circles of archeologists. It is an object that has shown up throughout history. One that has become known in folklore for certain traits that it has consistently possessed. However, the manifestation of these traits varies with each host." Solomon settles into his chair by the counter.

"One of these traits being that, until the death of its current owner, the Ring is never separated for long from its owners. Fate or the actions of the owners themselves always draw the two back together again."

Yugi and Tea just stare until the girl gathers enough of herself to speak.

"Are you saying that Ryo can't get rid of the ring?"

Solomon's frown deepens. "The boy probably does not even want to give up the Ring. No matter what misfortune followed them, there have been none known to simply relinquish ownership."

"Misfortune?" asks Yugi.

"Injury, the deaths of friends and family, wars. Those are just a few examples of the horrors that confirmed and speculated owners have faced."

Yugi and Tea stand in stunned silence.

"That is not the only trait it possesses. Any time that it has surfaced in the dark corners of history, some major catastrophe has occurred. Oftentimes, the owner is at the center of it."

Yugi snaps out of his trance.

"You mean that it has done this before?" The boy's question lingers in the air as his grandfather nods.

"The odd personality changes to your friend Bakura are common amongst the others. It is often described as if some demon is possessing them and conjuring that person's darker nature."

Yugi leans forward. "But we banished whatever was in the Ring." The boy's voice wavers with uncertainty.

A calculative glint appears in Solomon's eyes, and he hesitates before continuing.

"That is possible. With the power of the Puzzle involved, your friend might have become the first one to escape the cycle." A darker look clouds Solomon's features. "However, be wary. Like the Puzzle, the Ring is rumored to possess similar great, dark powers."

_"__So, 'he' might still be lurking within the depths of the Ring…We need to get back now."_

Yugi's heart jolts at the urgency in his darker half's voice, and he shoots to his feet. Tea starts at the sudden movement.

_"__If the Ring Spirit is still there and strong enough to steal back the Ring, then Joey and Tristan are right now without any protection against him."_

As the darker one's thoughts echo through Yugi's head, he turns and zips out the door. Tea begins to leave. However, a question catches in her mind, and she turns towards Solomon.

"Mr. Muto, will… can Ryo be saved from the Ring?" Her voice is small.

The old man simply stares at her for a moment. The turmoil of his thoughts shows in amethyst eyes.

"Perhaps. I can guarantee this: one game will not be enough to destroy the Ring's hold. Weaken it, yes. Stall for time, of course. However, there is a long road ahead of all of you."

The silence stretches until Tea nods once and disappears through the door after Yugi.

Solomon Muto merely stares after them before opening up his shop.

* * *

As Ryo turns on the shower, the Ring feels cold against his chest. It had been too easy to convince Joey and Tristan to leave him alone. Just the mere mention of a shower eliminated all suspicion.

As he locks the door, Ryo feels a pang in his chest. That lie had been necessary though. He needs to be alone for this. The boy checks the water to see if it is cold. Breathing the steam of a hot shower makes his thoughts hazy, so it is not welcome when he requires a clear mind.

_You were clearly not thinking right when you stole the Ring back from Yugi._

Ryo winces at his own thoughts. The pangs of guilt in his chest intensify. He had not wanted to betray Yugi like that, but he needed this. Needed answers about his life and hidden memories. Ryo turns to look at the mirror. Empty, dark green eyes stare back. The dark circles under his eyes look atrocious, and his skin appears as pale as chalk. Ryo closes his eyes. Hopefully, Yugi and the others will understand once he can explain it to them.

Ryo pushes away his thoughts and concentrates on the Ring. Its iciness spreads through his chest, and a ringing sound starts in both ears. His last thoughts before he crashes to the floor are wonder and disturbed feelings at how easy it is to follow the Ring's bounds to his soul. It is almost like he has done this many times before.

* * *

Ryo opens his eyes to see the door to his soulroom in front of him. So it worked. He made it. Ryo looks around for the dark iron door that appeared in his recently gained memories. That door has to lead to the Spirit's room. Why else would he end up there after Ryo had taken over before?

When Ryo turns around, he sees it. The door looms over him, and the boy takes a large breath before approaching the opposing door. As he walks closer, Ryo notices that the dark iron door is tinged with many spots of dark red rust across the intricate patterns that cover its surface. Ryo reaches out. As his hand hovers over the doorknob, it trembles. With a quick intake of breath, the boy grasps the knob and opens the way to his inner darkness.

* * *

It is too cold. That is the first thought of Ryo's. The room is too cold. He has not even stepped through the doorway yet, but his breath still comes out as mist. As shivers travels up his spine, a twinge of doubt echoes within Ryo. Does he really want to-

_No, I will not hesitate._

The boy steps through the door and onto the darkness. At first, there is no feeling on the soles of his feet. A breath later, sharp cold shoots up his leg, and he bites his lip to hold in a cry. Ryo only takes five steps into the room before he starts shaking. His whole self vibrates, and Ryo wraps both arms around himself. His blue t-shirt and thin brown pants do nothing to protect him. The toes on his bare feet are already turning blue.

The boy glances back and sees only the empty doorway behind him. With longings of warmth in his head, Ryo stiffens and turns forward again. He then takes one step and then another.

_I will not quit now. I deserve to know what happened to my sister, to my family_

Near the beginning, he calls for the Spirit, even trying the name "Bakura," which still tastes odd on his tongue. However, moments consisting of seconds or minutes or hours pass (it does not matter here), and he eventually stops to save his breath for the trek. Each step Ryo takes causes the cold to shoot through him, causes his toes and fingers and lips to turn blue, causes his breath to come out as mist.

The look in Amane's eyes when she scolded the Spirit propels him forward through the frozen darkness. Green eyes dull from cold scan Ryo's surroundings. The Spirit has to be here somewhere. There is only so much space that could be in this room, after all. Only so far to walk.

When Ryo tries calling out again, his voice has no echo. The boy has a strong feeling that it is somehow being muffled by the darkness. When Ryo decides to cease calling out, there is a flicker to his right, and the darkness shifts to a purple tint. While jumping to the left, Ryo nearly looses his balance. While he stumbles left, the purple pulsates and then darkens back to the blackness around him. Green eyes are wide and clear, and breaths come in sharp, shallow gasps. As the purple vanishes, he takes a few more steps backwards.

His right heel hits a solid object, and his momentum causes him to fall back. His back and head hit the hard ground. The iciness that courses through him causes Ryo to push himself up. Eyes bleary from the pain focus on what tripped him.

A sight of wild, white hair meets saucer-like eyes. Icy cold radiates off of the chest under Ryo's lower legs. A gasp escapes Ryo as he moves himself off of the Spirit. An automatic apology is the only words Ryo can say before nervousness and fear stifle other words.

There is no response.

A fearful gaze fixes upon the Spirit. A heartbeat of time passes and then another, but still the Spirit will not respond. The fearfulness directed at his own safety extinguishes when Ryo notices something. There is too much stillness. When Ryo removed himself from on top of the Spirit before, the other had not even so much as twitched, and now… His chest does not even rise like he has breath.

A soft, yet quick hand grabs a shock of white hair and holds it while another hand checks the pulse in the now exposed neck.

There is none.

Ryo's breathing speeds up once he feels this. Ryo moves closer to the Spirit's side to look better at his face and sees a chalk white visage with purplish blue lips and dark circles surrounding closed eyes.

_No._

Ryo shifts and presses his ear against the Spirits chest. The first second, there is no heartbeat, and Ryo's own almost stops. The fourth second, Ryo cannot tell whether or not his mind plays tricks on him when he hears a faint beat. The first full minute, he knows that there is a faint beat, several of them in fact.

"Spir-" Amane and Mother's name for the Spirit comes to mind.

"Bakura, wake up." Now, Ryo's eyes are focused on the slack face. Ryo's hands are gripping the Spirit's shoulders.

"Wake up, please." The Spirit's head lolls to the side as Ryo pulls him up and holds him awkwardly.

"I need you to wake up." There is no response from the cold one. Ryo holds him closer as though to give him heat. The coldness of the other seeps through his clothing and skin.

"You have to… I need you to tell me about Amane." Ryo no longer looks at the face of the Spirit, instead he stares at the dark entity's hair as he holds the unconscious spirit even closer. Amber eyes stare off into the distance at first and then focus once Amane's name registers.

"I need to know what happened to…" The boy trails off and his breaths become shorter. The nightmarish images he saw on the bridge flash through his mind. Amber eyes look sideways towards the boy's shoulder. As the warmth of Landlord seeps in, Bakura breathes deeply.

* * *

The warmth is both a curse and a blessing to Bakura. Landlord's energy does make him stronger with the passing of time- an occurrence that will allow him to recover relatively quickly. But, the weakness he feels… Increased awareness brings his current state to mind. His limbs are heavy and almost numb. Also, his power is drained to the point that it can hardly be sensed. He hates this. Hates relying on Landlord, whom he will probably have to pay rent to later.

Landlord stiffens. Fear, which does not belong to Bakura, courses through his own body. He knows in that moment that the boy can sense his emotions of hatred. Bakura does not have the strength to stop his source of energy and warmth from moving away. Although, his fingers twitch and a bit of panic travels through him. The cold and complete numbness returns to the parts of Bakura's body that are no longer touching Landlord's.

Sensing emotions of panic, Landlord hesitates and moves back to his former position. In the name of self-preservation, Bakura forces the feelings of hatred at his weakness to minimal levels as the warmth starts to strengthen him again. Weakness, of course, is always preferable to being trapped in this place.

As amber eyes shut, Bakura concentrates on a memory suitable for payment. It was not exactly what Landlord asked for. However, it should satisfactory enough for the boy's curiosity for now. Besides, any other would not guarantee the formation of a bond of sorts.

* * *

Ryo Bakura is six. He knows this from the candles on the cake that Mother made and from the gift that he plays with as he waits. Wooden figurines clitter, clatter across Ryo's table as green eyes glance at the front door every minute or so.

"Ryo."

The boy glances towards his mother who stands in the kitchen's doorway.

"He will be home soon, okay." As she speaks, Mother wipes her hands on her apron. Ryo's frown is slow to leave, but he smiles at her eventually.

"I know." The child continues to move his figurines as he speaks. Mother opens her mouth to respond, but a squeal of a little girl making a mess in the kitchen and a crashing of dishes cause her to retreat back through the doorway. After she disappears, Ryo glances at the front door again.

The moment stretches and bends, and during that time, Ryo sees something that causes his heart to pound and his mouth to dry. But then he blinks, and Father stands a few feet in front of him. The boy jumps up and runs over to his father. A true smile emerges, and thin arms embrace the far taller adult.

"Father!" While Ryo looks up, eyes light with excitement. "You're home."

The man places a hand on top his son's head. He smiles a caring smile, yet…his brown eyes are different somehow. They do not match the smile.

"Yes, Ryo, I am home." With his free hand, the man holds up a brown paper bag.

"I brought you a present for…" His father glances at the near finished cake piece on the table. "Your birthday." As he kneels next to Ryo, the man's voice is full of warmth. Ryo's already bright smile grows, and the only voice that escapes him is an excited gasp. Delicate fingers snatch the bag out of the man's hand. After opening the bag, Ryo reaches in. Fingertips brush against smooth, cool surfaces. The sensation distracts Ryo from his father's hand, which has become rather warm, on his head. Ryo's left hand grasps the object and his right hand pulls the bag away. Gold reflects off of Ryo's eyes.

The object is a dinner-plate-size piece of jewelry. Its shape captivates Ryo as he studies the triangular gold spikes that hang from it. Then, his gaze travels the circular outer piece before settling on the gold pyramid in the object's interior. The dark eye in the very center stares back at him.

"It's called the Millennium Ring. And you should be very honored to have it, as short as that time may be."

The words and darker tone do not register in the boy's mind for the item's heat is too distracting. It seeps into Ryo's hands, up his arms, and into his core. There is a murmuring from his father that Ryo fails to hear, but then the moment bends back onto itself and the words become clear.

"Usually the Ring rejects a prospective owner by this point." The man's grip tightens, and Ryo's father forces the boy's gaze to himself.

Green eyes stare wide and uncertain. Ryo's lips are parted. He feels weird. Strange warmth fills him, and there is a tickling sensation throughout his body. It feels like someone is dancing their fingers underneath his skin.

"Congratulation, child, you passed the test." The man's smile matches his cold eyes. Ryo returns the man's smile albeit the boy's is far warmer.

"A test, Father?" The boy hugs the Ring close. His arms nearly cover its surface.

The man frowns at the boy's warm smile.

"Unfortunately, harder tests are yet to come, so let me make this easier for you." The man's other hand wraps around the side of Ryo's head. Both grips grow painfully tight.

Confusion clouds Ryo's expression.

"Fath-" A word said with wavering voice is cut short by the increased heat from his father's hands.

"Let me rid you of weakness."

Time bends and twists again. Although this time, the past few hours seem to dance around Ryo. Inside the child, something creaks and cracks. The boy blinks (or the world darkens) and then he sees a strange golden light drift across his vision. Wonder fills him until the light finds that crack and **_pulls._** The room grows cold, then hot, then cold again. A growing, blinding pain fills Ryo's head. The light pulls again, and the crack grows larger until something tears and breaks. The light pulls the broken pieces apart. Though, Ryo does not know why or how there are broken pieces, but they must be there because everything feels so jagged. Why does he fell like he is being torn apart?

The boy blinks. A crack longer than him stares down from the ceiling.

_Why is the ceiling cracked?_

The boy tries to sit up; he really does, yet the blood rushing to his head and trickling out his ears dictates that he lay back down. He complies. However, enough energy is mustered so that he can move his hand and touch his throat. Inside, it feels odd, and rough. The world darkens again and, when his sight returns, the boy finds himself in a dark hallway with a stone floor. There are two doors. One made of cedar and the other dark iron. The cedar is cracked to the point that it looks as if it will break apart. However, the cracks are not dark like one would expect. Instead, whiteness fills each and every one. The iron door, unblemished yet dark, is open.

Before the boy can explore either room, he finds himself opening his eyes to the sight of the cracked ceiling. A murmuring fills one ear, and he looks toward the source. His mother, who has a bruise on a part of her forehead, grabs his arm. She appears to be speaking to him or yelling. Her face does look quite tense. She leans in closer and touches one of the spots that Father had.

It does not hurt, but the crawling sensation brings discomfort.

The white-haired boy twitches and than snarls at her while he pushes himself away. The dizziness almost makes him fall over again, but he forces himself to stay steady. His hand trembles as he runs it through the areas that his mother dares touch.

The hair feels different. A moment of exploration reveals that two clumps of it have adopted pointed and distinct designs.

"Ryo?"

The boy looks up at his mother. He does not want to speak yet because he is still annoyed at her. However, in order to get what he wants, he has to talk.

"Where is Father?" The tone is clipped and the amber-eyed glare is harsh. His mother does not respond. Instead, her eyes tear up and she embraces the child before he can pull away. At first, the boy struggles, but a thought occurs that causes him to pause.

He feels cold. The embrace does not warm him like it should, does not comfort or calm him. Something is missing. The feeling of breaking apart comes to the forefront of his mind. He does not know how he knows, but somehow he senses that something has been taken from him. The boy, Bakura as he will eventually be known as, slackens in his mother's embrace. Eyes stare wildly into nothingness as he attempts to comprehend what happened. As that knowledge eludes him, he clenches the Millennium Ring with one hand.

* * *

Back within the soulroom of his darker half, Ryo finds himself holding the sleeping spirit tight. It is almost like he is trying to reabsorb the half of him that broke off.

This is not possible. This should not be possible.

Ryo trembles and tights his grip on the Millennium Ring, wait… That does not make sense. He holds Bakura not the Ring. While his ears ring, Ryo's vision swims and the boy gasps. The spirit, who was supposed to be sleeping, chuckles.

"Well, Landlord, looks like someone calls you back."

Ryo's eyes widen, and he finds that no matter how hard his grip becomes, the fabric Bakura wears feels like it is slipping from his fingers.

"No, I am not ready. You haven't told me everything."

Bakura continues over Ryo's words.

"Most likely your friends. I wonder what they will think of your actions." The tone is more mocking than curious.

What will they think of Ryo going to the Spirit?

Ryo's heart gives a start, and his vision darkens. He can no longer feel Bakura, but his arms are not empty. Within their grasp is the Millennium Ring.

"Hey, kid, wake up."

As he opens his eyes, the boy gasps ragged breaths. He feels cold, but unlike the soulroom, the cold numbs. When his vision clears, Ryo sees Alister's face above his.


	6. Chapter 6

Alister had believed that the hour's trip (which should have been an two hours without the speed limit breaking motorcycle) to the hotel and back would not be long enough for some disaster to befall the boy. For a rare moment, he had trusted the boy- Ryo's-"friends" to be able to handle any situations that would arise and to follow common sense, like not letting Ryo out of their sight for more than five minutes or checking on him when he had been showering for more than a half hour.

As a steel-toed boot kicks open a locked bathroom door, Alister decides to refrain from making any such mistakes in the future. Heat is completely absent from the bathroom, and Alister swears that he can see ice along the edges of the mirror. His gaze first travels to the empty shower, but the sight beneath him soon captures all of his attention.

The boy looks like he did at the bridge. Chalk colored skin and dark, dark circles under his eyes. Just like then, he does not appear to be breathing.

Alister rushes to the boy's side and checks for a pulse- that beats faintly in the boy's neck. Alister breathes out, but intakes sharply when he feels the ice-cold temperatures of the boy. His breath pauses when he sees the glowing Ring.

There is movement in Alister's peripheral vision, and the Pharaoh comes into view. Alister, too busy trying to awaken Ryo, does not stop the Pharaoh as he grasps the rope attached to the Ring. The tug of the rope causes Ryo's hands to tighten their grip on the Ring. The boy does not react in any other way to either the Pharaoh or Alister's actions.

"The Millennium Ring is doing this. We need to remove it before it kills him."

Alister does not respond to the Pharaoh's words. He remembers the bridge and the way the spirit had been so intent on saving the boy. Alister doubts that the Pharaoh's statement is accurate. Crimson eyes narrow at Alister's silence, and the Pharaoh once again opens his mouth to speak. The sight of Ryo opening his eyes causes the Pharaoh to pause. Alister does not pause. Instead, he checks the clearness of Ryo's eyes and places a hand on Ryo's shoulder.

"Hey, kid, are you alright? Do you know who I am?" The words are calm, but Alister's free hand is clenched. Ryo looks at Alister in bleary confusion. However, as his green eyes clear, recognition enters them.

"Ali… Alister." The boy closes his eyes again, but opens them a few moments later. His gaze travels to the Pharaoh.

"Yugi, sorry I-"

"It's fine. I should have known that the Ring Spirit's influence would cause you to take it back." The Pharaoh eyes the Ring, and Alister can tell that he is waiting to snatch it away.

"No." The boy's trembles and icy temperature seeps through Alister's hand.

"You need to be somewhere warmer. Can you stand?" Alister can feel the Pharaoh's crimson-eyed stare, but he refuses to meet the dark one's eyes.

"I don't know…" The hand on Ryo's shoulder moves to a better position to help the boy stand. Once Ryo is on his feet, he attempts to stand on his own, but starts to fall back. Alister's strong arm steadies Ryo and the white-haired boy leans on the steadier young man. The Pharaoh watches.

It surprises Alister that the Pharaoh waits until the redhead has helped Ryo shuffle out of the bathroom before trying to snatch the Ring. Strangely, Ryo does not seem surprised and merely wraps the rope around his own arm. The Pharaoh's outstretched hand retracts, and his lips tighten into a thin line.

The other three notice the Ring.

"Aah." The blonde takes several steps back while the male with brown pointed hair takes only one step.

"Hey! Where did that come from?" says the pointed-haired male with a faint quaver to his voice.

"He took it from Yugi before we left," Says the girl still by the front door. Her breath is short, and she leans against the door.

"What!?" The blonde's voice is incredulous.

"Why would you do that?" pointed-haired male's tone has a hard edge that attracts Alister's glare. The redhead does not notice that his grip is too tight on Ryo's shoulder until the boy gives an almost inaudible gasp. Alister forces his hand to relax.

"Let me explain first." Ryo sounds out of breath.

"Explanations and questions can be saved until after you are warmer." Alister states. His glare, which promises a torrent of violence, causes great unease. Within the minds of some of the others, reactions to Alister's statement and look nearly become vocal. However, when the two taller adolescents turn their eyes to Ryo and his shaking, their glares soften and they head to the bedroom to snatch some blankets.

While the taller adolescents disappear into the bedroom, the girl turns up the heat. Only the Pharaoh follows Alister and Ryo, and he keeps a hawkish gaze on the pair as they settle on the couch. The Pharaoh himself settles, if one can call it that, by leaning against the opposite wall. The taller adolescents and the girl return, and Ryo is soon cocooned in a few blankets. Alister sits only a few inches away.

After Ryo is taken care of, Alister nearly starts when he notices the Pharaoh has shrunk and now has bright purple eyes.

_Oh wait, that's his host._

"What did you want to explain, Ryo?"

Ryo, who had closed his eyes at one point, opens them and looks at Yugi. His green eyes are bleary, but Ryo's voice has become clearer and stronger than before.

"Why I took back the Ring."

The blonde and Tristan start to speak, but either Yugi's quiet words or Alister's glare stops them. Ryo continues.

"The Spirit of the Ring is the only one who knows what truly happened to my siblings and parents. Even if you can't forgive me for trying to contact him under my own will, I am sorry."

Yugi stays silent for a moment.

"It is all right. You didn't do anything wrong." Yugi's eyes and tone are honest and forgiving.

"Yeah, I might have contacted a creepy spirit too if Serenity was involved." Concedes Joey.

Ryo breathes a sigh of relief. However, his expression soon turns anxious.

"He is not a creepy spirit…"

Alister watches as Ryo's knuckles turn white from the tense grip on one of the blankets.

"The Spirit- Bakura- is me. At least, he was before Father gave me the Ring. After that he was not-" Ryo's face becomes tainted with pain. He places a hand on the side of his head.

"Was not a part of me anymore. Father did something to me to…tear a piece of myself away." Ryo's tone grows monotonous with each passing word. His eyes remain dry.

_But Dartz said that there was an ancient spirit._

As Alister's glare softens into confusion, Yugi's shadow watches. The adolescents of the room merely sit in shocked silence.

* * *

As Ryo continues to explain his reasoning and to tell of some of the memories that he has uncovered, Yugi stays silent. The description of the state of Ryo's soulroom brings to mind Shadi's abilities with the Millennium Key.

_What if a similar power was at work on Ryo's soulroom? _Yugi catches himself wondering.

_"__His father or the Ring Spirit would have to be the ones responsible."_ Yugi's darkness thinks to him.

Ryo's speech halts, and Yugi's attention is drawn back to the outside world. Ryo's eyes are dull and look past Yugi.

"Ryo?" Yugi's concerned tone breaks the white-haired boy out of his trance.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about my mother." His voice is subdued. Besides Ryo, Alister watches the white-haired boy carefully.

"You mentioned that she was the one that led you to your soulroom. Was there anything else about her that you wanted to say?" Prompts Yugi.

Ryo looks down before answering. "There was one thing. My…Something happened to her, changed her after she died." Ryo's voice falters but then he looks up into Yugi's eyes and forces himself to continue.

"When I was younger, she looked very different. She was more like me with the white hair and green eyes. Her eyes were kind. She also looked human." The boy swallows. " Now she…her body has morphed into that of a bald doll's with blue skin. Well, more like a puppet because of the j…joints and the way that she moves with that creaking noise." Ryo shudders.

Everyone, besides Alister, gapes and pales at the description. Alister looks a bit green. He looks away and places a hand on his mouth.

"Her eyes are amber now and almost…empty." He stops, breathes out harshly, and says, "I don't know what happened to her."

Wide amethyst eyes stare at Ryo as the information sinks in. Yugi does not know how to respond.

_"__This sounds like the end result of a penalty game."_

Yugi jolts at the sound of his Other Self's mental voice. Without prompting, his Other Self continues.

_"__Penalty games can turn a person into a monster. If Shadow magic was involved with her death, then that could have been what happened to her."_

"Yugi?" Ryo's voice is laced with worry.

Yugi blinks. "Oh, Other Me was saying that it could have been a penalty game that turned her into that."

Ryo's eyes widen slightly. "That would explain it…"

The boy pauses for a moment.

"Yugi, it is alright if you want to add anything else. If you know or have anything else to contribute to anything that I have already said, I wouldn't mind if you brought it up. I think that it would actually be better that way." What he means to say is that a conversation is better and more productive than the alternative. Everyone knows that those words actually mean that this is way of talking is preventing Ryo from breaking down like before.

Yugi hesitates before speaking.

"Well, I actually had some comments on what your father said about the Ring. Before Tea and I came back, Grandpa explained a little bit about the Ring's history."

As Yugi explains what his grandfather told him, some of his thoughts turn inward.

_Should I tell Ryo any of this? He has enough to worry about without me adding all of this onto it._

The darker presence from the back of Yugi's mind surfaces.

_"__Ryo did say that he wanted to know everything that you do. Besides, if he learns of the Ring's tendencies and history now, he might be better prepared to combat it in the future."_

Some of Yugi's discomfort dissipates. However, some of it still remains to eat away at his thoughts. The small adolescent is able to hide this discomfort from Ryo's gaze. Soon they move onto other topics associated with the Ring.

"So, Ryo, what exactly was the Spirit's relation with your family?" Yugi's voice is gentle, but Ryo looks away.

"I…I don't think that I could talk about Bakura and my family's relations right now." Even before Ryo can fully refuse to discuss this aspect, Yugi's eyes are drawn to the Ring. He quickly looks back to Ryo's face. Yugi chooses not to say that he noticed the spikes of the Ring shift during Ryo's refusal.

_ "__The Spirit of the Ring," _Other Yugi pointedly says._ "Does not want Ryo to reveal His secrets."_

Yugi makes the mistake of nodding. The Ring's shifting stops, but the angles of its spikes are out of place enough to disobey gravity. Yugi can feel his inner darkness tense.

"Umm, Ryo, your Ring is looking really weird right now." Says Joey whose face has grown paler.

All of the spikes point to Joey who then stumbles back with a yell. Before anyone else moves, they have returned to normal, and Ryo merely looks at the Ring in confusion.

"He is laughing at you." The white-haired boy says.

"He sounds rather childish," States Alister before he encourages Ryo to continue. After the Other Yugi settles from the incident, Yugi feels great unease at the calmness Alister displays. However, he does not take long to dwell on it as Ryo continues speaking.

"As I said, my father was the one who did this to me, but he has not acted like he did."

"What do you mean?" asks Yugi.

"I have been living with him for several years, and-" Doubt plagues Ryo's face. "At least, I think so. He is on trips often, so I don't see him much." Less often then he has received letters from Amane. Ryo shakes his head.

"He is the head of the Domino Museum, so he has to be here." Yugi wants to cringe at the desperate edge to Ryo's voice.

"Why don't you ask the Ring? He probably knows." Tristan's voice is cutting enough to cause Ryo to look towards him.

"Yeah-" Joey begins but Tristan cuts him off.

"He probably has just the memory to explain the situation. I am sure that he can't wait to tell you the whole truth since he is such a trustworthy guy."

The sort of silence where one can hear pins and needles drop descends upon the room. Tristan's voice cuts through.

"I mean, he has been looking out for you for all of these years. Taking away all your horrible memories and crafting a perfect little life for you where you have friends that stay with you forever." The figurines of Monster World come to the forefront of everyone's, but Alister's, minds.

"Hey, since it is not his style, it's not like he probably is the one that made your mom stick around as a doll monster.

A whimper escapes Ryo. Yugi tries to interfere.

"Tristan, stop-"

"Stop what? Pointing out the obvious?" says Tristan as he pushes himself off of the wall he was leaning against. "We are all acting like it is okay to trust the demon Ring's version of Ryo's life. Am I the only one who remembers last week?" Tristan's glare overlooks everyone.

"This guy sure wasn't so helpful and nice when everyone was at his mercy. In fact, didn't you end up dead for a minute because of him?"

Ryo shakes violently, and Yugi can tell that his friend is breaking down.

_"__I don't trust this story either, but we should not be tearing apart Ryo's view of his world. Not with his mind as fragile as it is."_

Yugi does not have time to respond to his Other Self before Tristan continues speaking.

"He is probably trying to stop Ryo from remembering that he killed everyone and is trying to blame the whole thing on some guy who has been in the ground for-"

"My father is not dead." Ryo's voice cracks and his eyes grow wide. He wraps his arms tightly around himself. His breath becomes rapid and shallow. The Ring remains still, but Alister does not. The man stands in an instant and starts closing the distance between himself and Tristan. At the same time, Yugi can feel his whole body vibrating as his Other Self tries to take over.

Yugi does not understand why his Other Self would take over at this point until he sees Alister's eyes. They lack the vibrant emotions that they usually have. Their stormy appearance is gone, in its place are eyes made of unbreakable stone with no emotions within their depths. No, there is one emotion. When Yugi recognizes it, he nearly loses the last grip he has on his control. It is the same look that Hirutani and Ushio and even Shadi have all shared when Yugi or his friends have faced them. To call it murderous would be accurate.

When Ryo runs between Alister and Tristan, the look evaporates and is replaced first by confusion and then concern. Alister's hand reaches out and misses Ryo's wrist while the redhead calls the white-haired boy's name. Yugi's gaze follows Ryo's path from the spot between Alister and Tristan to one of the closed doors in the hallway.

Everyone rushes after Ryo, and the previous moment becomes temporarily forgotten. When they reach Ryo, the closed door has been flung open and a small closet revealed. A single box has been opened and Ryo scatters papers from it across the floor as he searches for something. The teen gives an excited squeak. Before anyone can speak, he shoves a piece of paper in Tristan's face.

"He is alive."

Yugi stands on tiptoes to see the paper- a newspaper article- and reads the large words printed on it.

**Dr. Bakura Discovers Basis for the Incans' Ancient Nazca Myth**

Yugi glances at the date from three months earlier and then at Ryo's face. His friend's expression is overjoyed and relieved. Tristan frowns and opens his mouth to speak, but he is silenced when Alister pushes him out of the way to see the article for himself.

"This is good news, right, Ryo?" Alister speaks over the beginning of Tristan's protests. Yugi takes the opportunity to try to get Tristan's attention but notices Joey whisper something in Tristan's ear. By the expression on Joey's face and the one creeping onto Tristan's face, Yugi knows that those two recognize Alister's look from before.

_"__Of course Joey would notice. He has been forced to look out for cues like that for years."_ The Other Yugi's thoughts travel through Yugi's head.

"Hey, Ryo," says Tea. "Maybe there are other clues in those boxes." She points to the cardboard boxes in the closet. A desperate green-eyed gaze alights on them. Before pale hands begin tearing through the boxes, Ryo glances towards Yugi as if asking for permission.

"We can all look. Maybe we will be able to piece more of this together." Yugi's tone is passable as light-hearted. The tension he works to keep out of his voice would have revealed the anxiety that courses through him. Questions concerning Alister, the Ring, and Ryo's mental state echo through Yugi's mind as he settles himself for what could be several hours of work.

For an hour, everyone searches for clues. Yugi's own effectiveness is affected by his thoughts. Alister's look of before and the way he now sits in between Ryo and Ryo's friends as though to separate them makes Yugi concerned.

The search slows down only when today's events and the short adrenaline rush take their toll on Ryo. When the boy has fallen asleep for the third time, Yugi convinces him to go to bed with the promise that the rest of them will keep searching for clues.

In actuality, the overdue conversation between the newcomer and Ryo's friends begins.

* * *

When Alister steals the Ring off of their sleeping friend, the Dark Yugi's opinion of the young man is forced to restructure itself yet again. It is infuriating how quickly the man's goals and motivations seem to change. The dark spirit does not like being a step or two behind those he considers opponents. However, in a way, it is entertaining. A difficult puzzle, no mater how frustrating, is always satisfying to solve.

"It may have saved him, but I sure as hell don't trust it," says Alister to the particularly shocked Tristan. While he speaks, the stranger lets the Ring dangle at the end of its rope.

"Why did you let him keep it in the first place?" snaps Joey. Within the blonde's voice, Other Yugi can hear the traces of last night's conversation on the stairwell and the nervousness at the sight of the Ring and its manipulations from an hour ago.

"Ryo's cracking and this is one of the few stable things in his world. Do you want to tear it from him when doing so will break him?" Alister's condescending tone causes Joey to respond combatively.

"What about when he wakes up and finds it gone? Did you think of that Mr. Fake Cousin?"

Alister does not shrink down or show any other obvious signs of doubt, but the Other Yugi can tell by the way that Alister's glances at the door several seconds longer than another might that Alister has doubts. Also, he would not have broken eye contact with any of them for so long if he was not distracted by some emotion.

_The man possesses obvious signs of distrust, so his doubt must be quite significant to distract him._

Dark Yugi does not let this thought seep past the barrier between himself and Yugi.

When it starts, no one notices. Tea has volunteered to stay with Ryo, so of course she does not notice it through a closed door. Joey, Tristan, and Yugi (to extension Other Yugi) are focusing too much on Alister's actions. Alister is too busy glancing at the door.

It is only when the length of the rope has burned itself to Alister's hand and he jerks with a yelp that anyone's eyes are drawn to the Ring. The rope disintegrates to nothing but drifting ash while the Ring plummets to the ground.

At first, they all just stare, and Alister holds his injured hand. It is only when the Ring hits the ground and cartwheels away on its too stiff pointers that they all move. Joey stumbles back with a yelp. His eyes dilate. Tristan jerks his foot away as it cartwheels past him, and Alister steps back. Yugi does not move except to grow taller and for the look in his eyes to darken.

When the Ring disappears into the kitchen, Dark Yugi has fully taken over. Crimson eyes glance back at shocked companions. They narrow as a realization hits the dark spirit.

"H…How did it do that?" says Tristan.

Joey's head whips towards Tristan.

"Because it is a freaky, cursed Ring!" Joey's voice cracks at the end of his sentence.

The Dark Yugi starts to-

Tea opens the bedroom door.

"What is going on out here?" You're going to wake Ryo."

The Ring comes cartwheeling out of the kitchen towards the open door. Tea stares at it until it is only two feet away. A flash of brown hair and a door slam later, the Ring has rolled up the door, fallen back onto the ground, and cartwheels towards the living room.

The Dark Yugi hisses. "It has been taking his energy. That's why Ryo has tired so quickly and the Ring has become so active."

The Ring disappears from sight.

Joey swallows. "What are we going to do about it, Yugi?"

Alister's eyes simmer. "Catch it."

Tristan refuses to take his eyes off of the end of the hallway. "How?" his voice is a whisper.

"We cannot touch it directly. If it can burn through rope, then it can burn through other things." The Dark Yugi's words are followed by Alister tightening the grip on his own hand.

"It can possess others, too. It took over me at the bridge when I touched it."

Three pairs of eyes flash to Alister.

"Why did you not mention that sooner?!" snarls Tristan. Joey opens his mouth to speak, but then the Ring rolls down the hallway towards them. Half-formed words become a yelp and everyone retreats to the kitchen. The sound of the front door causes everyone to freeze except for the Ring, which bounces up and cartwheels back to the front door.

"Yugi, Tea, how is Ryo-eek!" Miho does not notice the Ring until after it has cartwheeled past her and out of the door.

"NO." Both Dark Yugi and Alister shoot forward. Joey and Tristan follow.

Miho only has time to step out of the way as they rush past her.

"Why are we chasing it?" Joey's words echo in the outer hall.

"If we don't catch it now, it will come back and set fire to us in our sleep," answers Dark Yugi. They rush past an open door with Maya craning her head to look down the hallway towards the stairwell door that closes.

"What was-" She says as they zip past. Suspicion creeps into Dark Yugi's head, but when he glances back to see the eyes of a confused and startled girl, it dissipates. The gang disappears from sight through the stairwell door.

Maya stands at her door for several more seconds before stepping inside and closing it. A glint of gold can be seen just a few feet into her hallway before the door has closed completely.


	7. Chapter 7

In the center of his soulroom, a boy lies curled up next to the few objects that remain from the destruction of the whiteness of before. The ash has decreased in volume, but only the amber-eyed blue doll standing guard could see that. Beneath closed eyelids, the boy sees something far different.

* * *

_"__Hey, Amane, let's play again." The eleven year old voice echoes through the room. In response, the girl sitting across the RPG table smiles. It is a pained smile, barely more than a grimace._

_"__Let's do something else, Ryo. We have been playing for more than three hours." His sister's voice is strained, and there are tears threatening to fall._

_"__But, Amane, you love playing Monster World as much as I do." Green eyes avoid the girl sitting across from him. They focus on moving this game piece or putting that figurine back into place. The girl with mocha colored skin and near uncontrollable brown hair shrinks into herself each second he refuses to look at her._

_"__Ryo."_

_The boy's eyes, which are opened far too wide, still refuse to meet her eyes. Why should he have to look at his own sister? He already knows what she looks like: white hair, like Mother's and his, blue eyes and the palest of skins._

_"__Ryo, look at me please." Slow tears stain the girl's voice. "I can't do this. I can't be Amane. My name is Maya." He looks at her then. Sees a girl who is the opposite of his sister, who is… Where is Amane? What happened to her?_

**_Twisted metal through someone, not Mother or Amane, so that's fine. His own life matters little anyways. But the blood from over there is not his. The smell of blood mixed with some musty smell makes him gag before he can look and… To the right the baby lies scattered all over the road. To the left Amane lies too still in a red pool that is too large. To the front-_**

**_Somebody help me please._**

_Maya clings to the screaming, thrashing boy whose eyes are dilated and whose mind and soul have long since cracked._

_"__RYO. It's okay, it's okay…" She pauses, decides, and bears the chains that are required of her._

_"__I am right here. Your little sister is right here. We'll keep playing the game like you wanted to…for however long. Forever if you want." Tears roll down the small girl's face._

_The boy stops thrashing, stops screaming. Deep gasps can be heard as he catches his breath. Ryo relaxes in her embrace. He then pulls back and smiles at her. His expression could fall away at any minute with how shaky it appears._

_"__Amane, I had a really bad dream."_

_The girl stiffens. "What was it about?"_

_The boy's eyebrows furrow._

_"__I don't remember."_

* * *

_It is raining and Bakura is exactly three inches taller than Ryo was in the last memory. The demon child stalks out into the rain. It beats away at him and tries to do so hard enough to loosen his grip on the small satchel he wears._

_Bone-white fingers tighten and amber eyes narrow. He is not in the mood for this._

_The darkness grows around Bakura the farther he walks from the mansion. It clings to him and welcomes him while the rain plasters his clothing to him. The roaring is all he hears until…_

_"__WAIT." A sound full of pain and desperation echoes in his ears, yet he keeps walking. The pitter-patter of bare feet is disguised by the torrent, so when thin, shaking arms wrap around him and a small force nearly pushes Bakura over, amber eyes widen in surprise._

_This emotion is swallowed by annoyance._

_"__What?" The hiss somehow carries itself over the rain. Maya, in her nightgown, sobs._

_"__Don't leave me, Big Brother. I don't want to be alone again."_

_Bakura scowls._

_"__Get off me." He shoves her away. This thing is more annoying than that infant creature. The Ring glows as he prepares to deal with this distraction._

**_Amane?_**

_The demon child freezes and feels his control recede. He allows it because…Ryo leans down so that his face is level to the crying girl._

_"__Don't worry. We can write letters to each other." _

_Maya, who stopped crying when she saw green eyes, stares at him with red-rimmed eyes._

_"__We'll see each other on holidays, too, so it won't be too bad." The boy smiles, and Maya smiles back because he looks so happy. The smile disappears and Bakura reappears. He snatches her arm and continues his trek while dragging her along._

_"__Ba-"_

_"__No one but myself will know my address, so you'll have to come with if you desire to imitate __my__ sister." The harsh, unwelcoming tone lashes at her. Bakura wants Maya as a sibling as much as he wanted that blasted infant. However, Ryo…Ryo, who has started to come out every day now, wants her as a sister so Bakura will put up with this bothersome creature. He has to pay rent in some way, so this will do for now._

Within the soulroom, Ryo opens his eyes. Hands grip onto the soft fabric he lays upon as green eyes glance towards the blue puppet monster.

"Why do I only get glimpses of yours and my siblings deaths?"

The amber-eyed monster stares. The boy looks away and bites his lip in an attempt not to cry.

"You always break."

Ryo looks over to his mother. She cradles the broken infant mannequin. Her gaze is not upon Ryo.

"So, I don't remember remembering." His voice wavers. The walls of the soulroom waver too, and he finds himself-

-Back in bed. Tea and Miho are sleeping curled up around a few pillows on the floor. The light in the bedroom's bathroom is on, yet the door is closed enough so that the light does not shine on his face. His face is damp, and his chest aches. However, Ryo's mind is clearer than it has been in awhile.

_The letters have been explained. _

To the front of Ryo's mind float images of Maya who, as surface memories claim, has been his neighbor since he moved to Domino.

_What my darker half is has been somewhat illuminated. So that leaves-_

Ryo sits up.

_-That leaves my father's role in this and what is the cause behind my family's deaths._

Ryo does not think of all of the blank spots within his memories. He assumes-hopes-that those only contain moments of normal interactions between Bakura and those who Ryo has called family.

_Family. Is that what Maya is? She cares about me. Why else would she pretend to be Amane…Oh, god._

Ryo slides out of bed and treads to the bedroom door. He is gone before Tea shifts in her sleep.

_That poor girl. I can't believe that I… She should have never had to play the role of my… my dead sister. _

As Ryo winces at his thoughts, feet tread softly through the apartment and the front door is opened with care. The fact that his apartment's four other guests are missing does not register. The absence of the Ring is unnoticed. Only the young girl with her head buried in her knees, which are held close to her chest, matters.

"Sorry."

Maya looks up and at the boy who stands in the doorway across from her. Dark shadows surround her eyes.

"I shouldn't have ever forced you into that role. You should never have been forced to safeguard my sanity."

Brown eyes widen.

"Oh, Ryo."

_Oh, Ryo, begins a letter from not too long ago._

Maya pushes herself up. "It is not your fault."

_Amane's letter comforts him after the third friend falls into a coma._

"Besides, I like this role. Being your little sister is a lot less lonely than before." She steps forward.

"Before?" Curiosity alights in Ryo's eyes.

"Before we met." She reads the questions and looks away.

"It was a bad place. I would rather not talk about where." Can't. The Ring she has hidden in her blue satchel bag on the floor would kill her.

Ryo nods, pauses, reaches out both arms, and pulls her close.

"How many years?"

Maya cannot relax into his arms quite yet due to that question.

"Since you were eleven and a half about. That's how long you've been my older brother."

"Maya, you don't have to write those letters anymore." As she relaxes into his arms, Maya starts crying. Tears soak into Ryo's shirt. He does not cry.

Inside a pale blue bag, the Ring settles.

* * *

When the sun begins to peek through the windows of the apartment, the four return. To no avail, they had searched blocks for the Ring. Now, they walk into the apartment in dejected silence as they try to rub the autumn night chill from their bare fingers. Alister is the first to notice Ryo sitting on the couch. He stops and stares at the girl sleeping on the couch next to the white-haired boy. The other three see that Alister has stopped and one by one their gazes rest upon Ryo and the girl. As a girl's soft snores flow through the room, green eyes watch the four. Those eyes carry a hint of warning.

"It is not her fault." Ryo's voice rises barely loud enough for the four to hear. Looks of confusion pass by Joey and Tristan's faces. Alister has no reaction. He pieced the pieces together the moment he saw the girl. The Spirit of the Ring does not seem like the type to write letters from a little girl, so who else could there be?

Yugi's amethyst eyes widen in realization. "She's the one who wrote the letters?"

Ryo looks to Yugi, and the hint of warning nearly disappears.

"Yes."

Joey and Tristan are silent. Tristan looks at Ryo and the girl in shock while Joey's hair shadows his eyes.

Alister studies the girl and decides to reserve judgment for until Ryo has explained. He opens his mouth to ask Ryo for more details, but a shout from the bedroom and the pounding of feet interrupts him. Tea runs into the room and skids to a halt. Miho skids into her, and both girls stumble before they regain their balances. Miho's purple eyes focus on Ryo.

"Ryo! Your okay." Her gaze flickers to the girl and her eyes narrow. "Who is that?"

Ryo looks to her, his eyes sharpen, and he almost looks like the darker half.

"My sister."

_Does he think that she's Amane or…_

Alister steps forward. "What do you mean by that, Ryo?" He tries to keep his voice gentle, but some of the apprehension creeps in. Ryo looks to him. The boy's gaze softens back into just a hint of warning.

"I don't think that she is Amane, but she is the girl that has been writing me letters and she is important to me." Ryo looks at the girl during the last few words of his sentence. As he stares at Maya's face while she leans her head against the arm of the couch, green eyes gain a tenderness that was not there before.

"But she been manipulating you and working with the evil Spirit." Miho stares at the girl with strong dislike. Ryo looks back at her sharply.

"She did not have a choice. She was a little girl who had no one. Bakura would have killed or done something worse to her for clinging to him if it was not for the fact that _I_ thought that she was Amane. She has been-" Ryo's voice catches. "Maya has been pretending to be Amane to keep me sane and to… and to not be alone."

Miho's distasteful gaze vanishes to be replaced by discomfort. No one speaks for no one knows what to say. It takes a minute before Tristan's voice travels through the air.

"He actually admitted that he would kill her?"

Ryo looks at Tristan. His green eyes are unreadable.

"Bakura did not admit that. I saw it and felt it." The boy pauses. "I am not a fool. I know that each memory could be made up, but I don't believe they are. If he was really trying to create a false past, why make himself so flawed? In my memories, I saw him on him on the verge of killing the baby and Maya. I have felt it when he was annoyed with Mother and Amane and considered giving them 'light' punishments." Ryo makes sure to meet everyone's eyes at least once during his speech.

Alister glances towards Tristan and sees guilt in his eyes.

_You're finally regretting your words from earlier._

"If they were false memories, he would have put himself in a far better light. Perhaps he would have made it look like Amane and Mother's deaths made him temporarily go mad." Ryo's voice tapers off at the end, and he looks back to Maya. While his gaze travels to her, the girl sighs in her sleep and opens her eyes. As she sits up, she rubs her blurry eyes and looks at Ryo and a lazy smile unfolds on Maya's face. As everyone silently stares at the girl, Joey's eyes are still shadowed. Alister coughs.

Maya stills, and the lazy smile freezes. Very, very slowly, her gaze moves from Ryo to the rest of the group. Sleep disappears from her eyes and she sits straight with an eek. With a look of shock, she stares out at the group.

Before anyone can stop him, Joey moves forward and kneels right in front Maya. The small girl leans back as Joey looks her right in the eyes with narrow eyes.

"So, you're the girl that's been writing those letters." His stern voice causes her to blink rapidly and look away.

"Y-Yes." Her small voice barely reaches out into the room. She shuffles closer to Ryo.

Joey stares at her for another minute, and the silence stretches and stretches until-

He smiles at her.

"So, he's a big brother to you, huh?" At his kinder voice, Maya looks to him. Disbelief looks out at the blonde male, but then hope slowly blossoms.

She nods once. "We're not related, but he's my family." Maya looks down, bites her lip, and then looks back up. There are tears in her eyes.

"You don't think I am a monster."

Near the back of the group, amethyst eyes widen. Yugi glances at Joey to see if he has come to the same conclusion. With a glance at the blonde's flinch, Yugi knows that Joey has.

Maya must have heard the conversation on the staircase.

"Nah, you're too nice. And Ryo cleared it all up with us, right, Ryo?"

The white-haired boy agrees and wraps his arm around Maya's shoulder and pulls her close. The girl lets him. Tears fall slowly but she smiles this time.

* * *

The day passes by uneventfully. In a way, Yugi is grateful for that, but the lingering suspicion of more hardships to come taint the day's peace. Of course, he contributed as much as everyone did in the conversations about homework and disliked teachers and other students. However, he finds himself watching Ryo carefully. A delayed laugh here could easily turn into another episode. The wrong topic there could become disastrous. His Other Self decides to intervene when Yugi remains too withdrawn from a talk concerning Duel Monsters

_"__Easy, Yugi. If anything were about to happen, I would warn you of it."_

Yugi slowly blinks. His Other Self has never really comforted him before. Before he can respond, Ryo has pulled out a few new cards that he has bought recently.

"I liked watching you two duel at school," Ryo says to Joey and Yugi. "So, I bought some cards to try out the game myself." Ryo looks at Yugi. His green eyes are hopeful, and Yugi knows that the white-haired boy sensed Yugi's distracted air. Guilt at his transparency courses through the small adolescent until he forces it down in order to concentrate on Ryo.

"Can I see some of them?" Yugi's voice carries an air of enthusiasm. Ryo quickly shows the hand of new cards to Yugi.

"This one," Ryo's pale finger points to the spell card in the middle. "Is my favorite."

Portrayed on the card's surface is the picture of a brown-haired girl with wings. Yugi notes the contrast the demon and the angel wings create in the girl.

_"__It reminds him of himself."_

At his Other Self's words, Yugi finds himself thinking of Bakura the Ring Spirit and Ryo's differences. Amethyst eyes look into green eyes, and Yugi knows that Ryo can read his thoughts.

"It fits," Is all Yugi says. Ryo nods in response.

* * *

When night arrives, Ryo becomes restless, and Alister attempts to distract him with tales. As it turns out, Alister is actually a military man on leave. A few tales with hints of the super natural captivates everyone; although, they draw too quickly to an end. Ryo becomes too tired to stay awake, yet he fights hard to do so. He knows what is coming. That one memory that sent him over a bridge creeps along the edges of his mind, but he cannot fight sleep. Instead, the boy comforts himself before he descends into his soulroom by studying and remembering the faces of his friends who surround him.

They watch over him while he slips into sleep.

* * *

"Madam, please slow down." The head guard misses running into Bakura only because the boy stepped out of the way. An amber-eyed gaze follows the guard as he rushes by.

_Ryo would have been bowled over._

Bakura pauses at his own odd thought (he never thinks of Ryo's reactions to anything) before continuing to follow Mother to the baby's room. The guard, who wears a black suit with a sky blue tie, has already caught up to her and is trying to stop her from running from one end of the house to another. A crackling beneath Bakura's foot causes him to look down. The words of Father's letter looks up at him. The demon child jumps away from it and glares.

_I see that Ryo is growing stronger. _

The message brings panic because Father knows where they are and he knows how Ryo and Bakura are and he tried to tear Ryo from him once, so he must be angry that Ryo has grown stronger and-

Bakura forces those thoughts away and glares at the letter. Perhaps if he stared at it long enough, the paper will burst into flames and cease to exist and he and Mother can get back to playing their game.

_Mother almost never plays. You took away one of my few chances._

"Bakura,"

He looks up. Musings forgotten.

"Get Amane and go to the garage." Mother's eyes are bright with fear but her voice remains strong and steady.

Bakura does not nod but simply turns on the balls of his feet and disappears around the carpeted corner. The guard's voice waffles through the air.

"But Ms. Crawford-"

_Within the soulroom, Ryo twitches in his sleep. The last name appears embroidered onto a small corner of the fabric he rests upon._

"Do not refer to me by my brother's name."

"Sorry, Madam, but-"

"Go start the fastest care we have and call my brother. Tell him to expect guests on the Island."

"But Master-" and with that Bakura moves out of earshot. It takes only a minute to find Amane. She carries a pale lavender bag and wears a blue overcoat over her thin white night gown. The purple slippers she wears are inadequate for walking long distances, so Bakura hopes that she has time to grab her shoes from by the outside door.

"I'm ready." She smiles at him in a sad sort of way. Life was comfortable here, stable. The fact that Father's possible presence is making his family run away to some island infuriates Bakura.

"He will suffer before I grant him the mercy of death." Bakura snarls.

Amane runs to her brother, hugs him with a bag in one hand, and whispers to him. "But that's a long, long time from now. When you and I are a lot stronger."

Bakura huffs, grabs her hand, and leads her to the garage. Mother is already there buckling in the baby. Bakura's hand tightens when he sees the "creature" and feels Ryo start to awaken.

_You cannot take control now. It's too dangerous and it's not fair. You were out for __**hours**__ yesterday. _

As always, Bakura's words fall on deaf ears. Bakura's scowl evaporates to be replaced by Ryo's confused frown. Mother notices and smiles. A tense small smile that makes Ryo uncomfortable.

"Ryo, are you ready for the trip."

Ryo nods slowly. His eyes are still clouded with confusion, but both Mother and Amane see the damaged child's eyes clear as he fabricates his own story. Sadness lurks in both of the females' eyes. As he loads up the car, the guard pretends not to notice the exchange.

"Come on, Ryo, let's get you buckled in."

"I can do that myself." The ten year old quickly states. He lets go of Amane's hand and runs to the other side of the car. However, when he attempts to open the door with his right hand, a figurine drops out of his open hand. The White Wizard hits the concrete floor with a small tap.

Ryo stares.

_Why was I holding that?_

The boy blinks and, when he opens his eyes, is in the car and buckled up with the White Wizard in his closed hand. A sense of disorientation overcomes him as he stuffs his favored game piece into his pocket. His fingers brush against a pair of dice-

**_-That cracked and broke apart and how dare Landlord destroy the few things Bakura has left-_**

-while he extracts his hand from his pocket. The boy looks out the window, and his eyes widen when he sees the forest that surrounds the manor for miles speed by.

_Weren't we just in the garage?_

The baby's gurgles draw Ryo's attention to the front where his Mother is cradling the baby. He knows he saw Mother buckle Eric in a few minutes ago, so how is he now sitting on her lap?

Confusion plagues Ryo's mind and he breathes rapid breaths. The world does not make sense. There are times where nothing is following any rules and his head hurts so much.

"Ryo?" His sister's voice anchors him.

_Cling to it and find your way back._

"Ryo, it's okay." Ryo looks towards her and her bright blue eyes stare kindly back at him. The boy feels the world reorient itself and feels everything fall back into place. Amane always follows her own rules, ones that never change. With her and the baby, everything makes sense. Something flickers by the corner of Amane's pure white hair, something that lingers beyond the window, and Ryo finds his gaze drawn to it.

Ryo sees something dark and large and wrong about to hit Amane's side of the car.

Time stops for a moment and then the Ring burns against his skin and everything spins and…darkness.

_In a soulroom, a boy jerks in his sleep._

When the darkness lifts, something warm and wet slides down Ryo's face and lingers on his chest. Ryo's ears ring. His fingers and toes are numb, yet his left side burns. The boy gasps, lifts up his head, and tries to move.

It is only a centimeter, but that is a centimeter of metal sliding inside of his skin. A piercing shriek cuts through the air, but there is nothing the Ring, with a severed rope, that lays a few feet away on the pavement can do.

The boy's cheek once again lies in something wet, thick, and warm. He knows that it is not the tears he sheds, but Ryo cannot comprehend what it could be. The boy does not see the small pool of red slowly growing by his side. The boy lays there until the ringing in his ears stops.

"Ryo." A voice, small and weak, reaches the boy. Ryo twitches in response.

"Ryo, look at me." The voice grows more forceful, and Ryo shifts his head just enough so that he can see what is in front of him.

His mother, who is on her stomach, has pushed her head and part of her chest off of the ground stares at him. Tears flow from her eyes and a deep look of despair reflects from her eyes. However, she forces her voice to be strong.

"Ryo, I need you to let Bakura out. You two need to run."

"Bak…Bakura?" Ryo does not understand.

There are the voices of two men in the distance, and Ryo swears he hears someone say, "Run, Madam Crawford," before gunshots pierce the air.

His mother flinches. "Ryo, you need to run. Let Bakura take control. Let- don't look over there."

The boy is moving his head again to look to his left. That's where the sound of the gunshots came from, so he has to see why. Once his gaze has shifted that way just enough. Green eyes grow wide and pupils shrink to pinpricks. The trees hide the source of the gunshots, but a different sight- pink matter scattering the pavement and his baby brother lying there- greets him. The boy does not scream but merely disappears.

"Mother." A different voice, stronger and harsher, echoes through the air. Amber eyes narrow at the sight before him and the child looks away from it. Some emotion lingers in his eyes, perhaps regret, perhaps not.

"Mother, are you alright?" Bakura looks towards her and sees that she tries hard not to sob. The child starts to push himself up.

"It's okay-" Pain laces through his side and Bakura gasps. He remains frozen half-standing, half leaning forward until a small hand finds the metal piece sticking out of his side and pulls.

Mother cries out at the same time the child screeches. The metal piece is tossed to the side. Bakura presses a hand to his side and sways with dull eyes. They clear within seconds of determined concentration and he starts to move towards her.

"Mother, I will get Amane and you out of here. Just stay there."

She shakes her head. Thick tears fall, but she still speaks. "No, run."

"I'm not leaving you and Amane." Bakura snarls "I know you're sad that Eric died but the four of us can still…" He stops walking.

"Where is Amane?" The snarl falls away. "Mother?"

The woman shakes her head again. Her face shining in the fire of the ruined car and twisted in deep pain. She tries to push herself up, but falls back to her original position. "Please."

His mother tries not to glance in that direction, but Bakura sees the flicker of her gaze. He turns to the right.

_This is a nightmare._

He turns to the right and sees…

_This is a nightmare. It is not real. It is not real._

Sees Amane lying in a larger pool than he had been in before. Bakura just sees her back and the back of her head, but with his sharp eyesight, he sees that she is far too still. With his hearing that can hear whispers across rooms, he hears nothing.

"Amane?" Everything silences. The cackling fires of the car are silent. The way Bakura's voice sounds like Ryo's is never noticed. His mother's pleas for him to run are muffled. The dying screams of the head guard never reach his ears.

"Amane?" Bakura stumbles forward a few steps. From within the forest, a figure emerges. However, Bakura does not see that he sees-

_She carries a pale lavender bag and wears a blue overcoat over her thin white night gown. She smiles at him in a sad sort of way. _

Bakura does not hear as the figure walks with a click of its shoes onto the pavement. He hears-

_"__When you and I are a lot stronger, we'll take on Father together, Kitty." _

_Her favorite nickname causes him to look at her with narrow eyes. Amane giggles at his annoyance. Her blue eyes dancing and bright. _

"Ama-" Shadows curl around the child's waist, pick him up, and throw him to the ground. When he hits the pavement, Bakura can feel his arm crack, but he does not screech like last time. Instead, the shadows that are wrapped around him are wrestled away from the figure on the edge of the road and bent to Bakura's will.

Sharpened darkness strikes out at the figure. The man merely waves his hand and the darkness dissipates into mist. Another wave and golden light holds down Bakura. The Ring beneath the child is pressed hard against him.

Amber eyes search for Him, and when they find Him, they morph into something worse than hate. The face of a child falls away to be replaced by a face made from the darkness. Slitted pupils and bestial amber irises that could only belong to a creature that seeks to destroy glare out at the man, who now stands by his mother (she stares up at him with terror shining from her eyes), and a demon bares sharp canines that glint from the flames.

"GET AWAY FROM HER."

The man chuckles at the deep-throated tone that carries traces of hellfire and promises of suffering in its depths. "Now, Bakura, is that any way to treat your father?"

Shadows wrap around the gold light and tear at it. Gouges appear in the asphalt every time one of the shadows slip off of the golden light. The man frowns when the shadows start to peel away the light.

"That won't do. Well, I wanted to speak to Ryo anyway." He flicks his hand. The gold light wraps tightly around the demon child's head and reaches into it.

Both the child and his mother scream.

* * *

When Ryo wakes up from a nightmare, the first noise he hears is the sound of something wet and thick slapping together and an occasional cracking sound. He groans weakly, and the boy hears a chuckle. Ryo looks forward.

_That was Father and Father will help the nightmare go away even though he has not come home in a while._

It is not the man, whose glasses gleam in the light and who wears a blue buttoned-up shirt with khaki pants, that attracts Ryo's attention. His gaze is focused on Mother, who sits up quite strangely. She leans against something; however, it moves and she moves with it. Her head must be leaning back because he cannot see it. Her head is…

_I don't understand._

Red runs down her neck and chest and all onto the pavement-

_Where…_

-and out from between the black skinned creature's elongated and jagged teeth.

_Mommy?_

It must be leaning back.

_Where is you head?_

No, it is not.

_Mommy?_

His father's laughs are drowned out by screams that never end until the boy has ran down the stone hall, past the iron door, and to the cedar door. Once inside, he dives into the whiteness and hides forever or at least until he wakes up from this horrible dream. Until then, Ryo will scream.


	8. Chapter 8

_Within a soulroom whose whiteness is now ash and can no longer be used as a hiding place, a boy thrashes to awakening. He is still screaming._

* * *

Alister knows that sound, remembers that sound, hates that sound. He knows that sound because he has heard it so many times as he awakens from dreams of Mikey and his mother and fire and war. Alister remembers that sound from the elderly shop owner who watched his sons be killed by Gozaburo's men and who screamed every night until he hung himself from his store's rafters. Alister hates that sound because it is the sound of someone's sanity dying.

The couch in the living room and the fitful sleep that accompanies it are left behind. Within moments, Alister is standing in the bedroom doorway. Ryo's larger friends, Joey and Tristan, are trying to hold the boy down. Those screams are still piercing Alister's ears as he forces himself to move towards Ryo. The young man freezes when he meets the boy's eyes. Pure terror resides within them as well as that realization that that nightmare was no illusion or dream. Your family is dead. You are truly alone.

When the boy breaks free, Alister is still stuck back home, watching everyone burn again. However, when Ryo begins to push past him, Alister awakens, remembers the bridge, and makes the connection.

_I cannot escape. I cannot return home. Something traps and constricts me. What is-_

Alister holds onto the boy, even when Ryo tries to pull away, to twist and turn out of the young man's grip.

_I want to go home and see Mother and Sister and Brother again. Why am I being stopped? Why-_

"Ryo, it is okay. Calm down, please." Yugi's voice wavers.

_An anchor, but it is not Amane. It is not my anchor._

Maya cries from the spot she was sleeping in. Miho and Tea stare on in horror. Joey and Tristan are still sitting on Ryo's bed. Alister is silent until-

"You're being selfish." Like the elderly storeowner who left his baby granddaughter behind.

"I know it hurts, but you live with it. You don't delude yourself with thoughts that you're going home and not leaving anyone behind."

_What am I doing?_

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, but eventually they do. The screaming turns into sobbing and the struggling into the same latched on grip as under the bridge.

_The world has reoriented itself. Yugi, Maya, Alister, Tristan, Joey, Tea, and Miho are my anchors now. My sanity. My balance._

The boy looses the will to stand. Alister helps him sink to the floor slowly. Yugi comes and places a hand on Ryo's shoulder.

_They are my home now._

* * *

Ryo has not talked to Miho for two days, but that is fine because at least he is eating. Miho sits next to Ryo and watches as he spoons the soup into his mouth. He eats one slow bite at a time, and sometimes he will pause for a minute and stare dully at his food. However, that is okay because at least he is not just staring at his food with empty eyes as Miho attempts to feed him forkful by forkful. Miho never ever wants to do that again. She has often daydreamed of feeding Ryo, but those dreams are fun and romantic. They are not like yesterday's little nightmare.

Halfway through the bowl, Ryo pushes it away.

"Are you done, Ryo?" Miho does not expect an answer. Ryo was eating on his own and that is good enough for now.

Ryo does not look at her and his eyes are still a dull green, but he nods. He nods a small nod and moves to stand on his own.

Miho feels like crying, but it would be happy crying, so that is fine. She glances at Alister, who stands with sharp eyes a few feet away. As he comes to guide Ryo to whatever room, his sharp grey eyes meet her purple eyes for just a second. Before he looks towards Ryo, Miho can see his sharp gaze has softened slightly and that is good because that means that Alister believes that Ryo has improved. Once the two have left the room, Miho smiles at Tea who lingers in the kitchen. Tea gives a small smile back, but it is off. It does not reach Tea's eyes and it falls off far too quick. Miho assumes the other girl is simply tired and keeps smiling to herself. The brunette has been cooking meals for seven people after all.

* * *

Tristan glances out of the storefront's large windows. Pitch-black darkness that only exists in the later hours of the night pushes against the glass. He steps back. A cold shiver travels up his spine while he wonders where the streetlights that were in the parking lot went. He takes another step back and blinks and then the streetlights are there again and so are the lights of one of the few cars left in the parking lot. The tall adolescent shakes his head.

_I need more sleep._

It has been five nights since Tristan has slept through the night. Five nights since he has not woken up to the sound of a boy's screams or to the sobbing that often accompanies them. Five nights he has stayed up wide-awake after those nightmares. It is no wonder that he has started hallucinating.

_It is not like I can nap during the day._

The apartment is too quiet. Even though it is full of people, hardly anyone talks besides to give quiet encouragement to Ryo. The white-haired boy himself is always silent. Although Tristan would not admit it, the boy's silence is nerve-wracking in of itself. It reminds him of the silence that accompanies a funeral, and Tristan finds himself afraid that, if he does not stay awake, the boy's own silence will consume him and Ryo will disappear while Tristan sleeps.

Before, Tristan would never admit these concerns to himself (Ryo is his rival for Miho's attention), but after seeing Ryo and what happens when someone sweeps their thoughts under the rug, Tristan finds himself examining and acknowledging each and every thought that enters his head.

When a clerk glares at the tall adolescent who has been standing in place for too long. Tristan shakes himself out of his own head and turns to grab the energy drink that he originally came to the front of the store to get.

After paying for it, he takes a swig of it while clutching the receipt in one hand and walks back to the other end of the store. Tea still stands by the produce aisle. She stares blankly at a cabbage in her hand while the fluorescent lights accent the dark circles under her eyes. An old lady glances at her with obvious concern and lightly taps Tea's arm.

"Excuse me, young lady."

Tea jerks back. Her eyes come back into focus and her gaze rests on the lady.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I in your way?"

Tristan watches the two interact and listens to Tea weave a tale about the stress of schoolwork and future college plans. Not quite satisfied, the old lady quietly accepts her excuses and kindly gives some suggestions for getting extra sleep. When the lady leaves, Tristan steps up to Tea's right.

"Start hallucinating yet?"

Tea glares at him as she stuffs some leafy produce into a plastic bag and places it in the cart.

"Very funny, Tristan." Her clipped voice does not faze him.

"I'm not joking. If you are, then this might help." He hands her a black tea he bought with his drink. As Tea automatically takes the tea, her blue eyes widen.

"Sorry, Tristan. I am just-"

"Tired?" Tristan asks. "Yeah, I know." The pointed-haired male huffs the last sentence. Tea looks down, and they both stand in silence until-

"Yugi's grandpa doubts that we can save him." Tea's gaze looks in the direction of the produce shelves, but her eyes are focused on something far away.

Tristan flinches at those words. He turns towards her with shock in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"He knew about the Ring before we even mentioned it, and he said that there is not a single known case of someone surviving ownership of it. They all suffer under it until they die." Tea's voice is reminiscent of the same emptiness Tristan kept hearing in Ryo's voice until five nights ago.

"That is complete crap."

Tea looks up and stares at Tristan.

"Of course you're only going to hear about all the ones who suffered. No one wants to hear about the guy who dropped the Ring off a cliff and never saw it again or that ancient guy who kept the Ring on a shelf all day." Tristan glares at the piles of cucumbers in front of him.

"Especially if the Ring Spirit is a torn off piece of Ryo's soul and not some demon who has been possessing and preying on people for millennia, just because the Ring's uses shadow magic does not mean that it hurts everybody. I mean, look at Yugi. He has an item that probably was created by the same group of people and he's fine." Tristan turns to walk away. No, he turns to hide his face.

_Personally, I would not be surprised if the Ring was a millennia old demon, but Tea needs peace of mind._ _I can handle that knowledge a lot more than she can._

Tristan hears Tea's sigh of relief. However, he then hears her gasp. When he turns to look at her, Tea's hand that is not resting on the cart is pressed against her mouth.

"Is…Yugi has the same type of object. Does that mean Yugi's Other Self is like…" Tea never finishes that sentence.

It takes an hour to grab three more items from the store shelves, and by the time the two return to Ryo's apartment, everyone is asleep except Alister who talks in hushed tones to someone on his cell phone. While Tristan listens and helps Tea put away the ingredients, he does not understand a word Alister says except the name Bakura and Domino Museum. Tristan really does not care about Alister right now. Comparisons between Yugi and his darker self are too busy running through his mind.

For the first time in almost a week, Ryo does not wake up screaming; although, he does whimper softly. Tristan does not sleep anyways. He was too busy glancing at his snoozing, smallest friend, and awful thoughts weigh too heavily on his mind.

* * *

During the second day, it took Maya four tries before she was able to keep the tears out of her voice enough to call Risa and the headmaster of Black Rose. They had to think she had the flu, and a tearful voice would have had Risa pounding on Maya's door demanding to know what was really going on.

It is now the sixth day, and Maya watches Ryo as he sits on his bed looking through the cards that he was showing Yugi so long ago. The young girl fidgets from her place on the floor and looks back to her textbook that she has not even glanced at in days. Like they have been for the past hour, the words blur on the page, and Maya finds that she has been on the same page since she began. The girl presses her left hand to her forehead and closes the book with her right. Large brown eyes glance at Ryo again.

_He hasn't talked in days. Is that good or bad? Did his "condition" of before come back? Am I Maya or Amane to him, or does he even know who any of us are? Is that why he isn't talking?_

Maya's thoughts race in circles in her head. Her unfocused gaze still rests upon Ryo when the boy looks up. He stares at her for a while. The dullness shifts to a different look that is reminiscent of calculative.

"Maya."

Everything in Maya's head stops. Her eyes widen and focus back on Ryo. As her breath catches, her name lingers in the air.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. I know that you are wondering if I…descended back into the delusions of before. I didn't. I'm still here. It's just…I need time." His voice trembles, but Maya looks up at him with a smile. There are tears in her eyes, but even she can't tell whether they are of happiness or sadness.

"Of course, Big Brother."

Later on, after Ryo has talked a little with everyone, Maya notices that the apartment is not as quiet. Miho chatters to whoever will listen now, and the others actually start real conversations with Ryo and with each other. A little later than that, Maya sees Tristan snoozing away on the couch.

* * *

_The child, Ryo Bakura, he's missed more than a week of school hasn't he?_

A red-haired woman smiles to herself as she flicks through the student records. It has been weeks since she has had fun, so this boy's constant absence is a godsend.

_Ooh, look at that. He has such a lovely record from his previous schools._ Her smile grows wider as she studies Ryo Bakura's older records.

_If I expel him, it's not like I am being mean. He has broken the rules. Besides, it's obvious that he is a danger to other students. I am actually being quite heroic in this case._

The woman pauses and frowns. She lightly dabs at her face. When she does not feel any cracks, her grin returns. A glint of paper catches her eyes, and the grin vanishes.

_It's not like I can expel any of them. _The woman glares at the files of Yugi's little friends. She absolutely despises them, but memories of a crimson-eyed gaze and a devilish smirk force her to exercise caution when it comes to them. Even when they break the rules, the woman knows that they are untouchable.

Just as the red-haired woman has collected all of the evidence that she needs, the phone on her desk gives out a shrill little ring. She huffs, disappointed that she will have to wait a little longer for her fun, but dutifully answers the phone like any good teacher would.

_"__Greetings, Ms. Chono, I see that you are at your office after hours. Find something interesting?"_

That voice. The phone almost drops out of her hand, but her grip tightens at the last minute. Ms. Chono, the Wicked Witch of Expel, trembles as she glances at the doors and windows in the room. He has to be here somewhere. There is no way that this phone call was an accident.

"Hello, Mr. Muto, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" She keeps the quaver out of her voice, but she can still hear her heart pounding in her ears.

There is silence on the other end, but then the voice picks up a lighter tone.

_"__I merely wanted to ask a favor, Ms. Chono, if that is not too out of bounds for a student."_

She grinds her teeth at his words.

_You know that I don't have much of a choice, you brat._

"What is it?" Her voice is not rude, she already spent a few hours on her makeup today, but the lack of "oh no bother at all Mr. Muto" or other frivolous phrases should get the point across that she does not want to play his word games.

_"__I see. Well, you do deserve straightforwardness. A friend of mine, Ryo Bakura, has recently suffered a tragedy that may prevent him from attending school for a while longer. Can you see to it that there is no misunderstanding for this absence?"_

It takes every ounce of her willpower not to crunch the files in her hand into little wrinkled balls and to chuck them at the wall.

"Yugi," There is no point in pretending that he is an ordinary student. "If a while longer is a few days, then that is within my ability to do so. If it is more than that length of time, I will not be able to help you by myself."

The voice does not even pause. _"Will Tsuruoka's or Mr. Karita's assistance be enough?"_

Ms. Chono does not even want to know what Yugi Muto did to those two.

"Yes."

_"__Then let them know that this is a favor for myself. Their cooperation should be ensured. Thank you Ms. Chono for your help in this task."_

She senses that he is about to hang up the phone and quickly speaks. He will not have the last word.

"There is one thing, Yugi." She purposely pauses. "Next time you want something, don't pretend to ask."

Her phone hangs up with a click. She is shaking more now, but…

_That was worth it._

Her pride needed that. For the rest of the night, Ms. Chono refuses to look out any of the windows that she passes. Even if that Muto were out there, she would not see him in the darkness. Besides, it would only give him the satisfaction of seeing her scared.

* * *

It has been almost two weeks, but Alister never asks Ryo about the nightmares. He only let Ryo know after the second night that "if you want to talk, I'll listen," but Ryo has not taken Alister up on that offer.

The pale light of the stove casts long shadows in the kitchen. Alister sits across the table from Ryo and watches as the boy stares at the new cards that the Game Shop owner, Solomon Muto, brought earlier today. Pale fingers trace the surface of one card, a scrawny insect, and pick it and its two brothers up to place on top of the deck Ryo has been building for the past few days. The rest Ryo stacks into a pile for his friends to look through in the morning.

Alister studies the boy carefully. Ryo's pale fingers stay steady. Until only a few days ago, for the past weeks, they had been constantly trembling. Ryo's ghost white hair sways when he reaches for his deck, and Alister notes that it is far better kept than it has been. When Alister gaze focuses on Ryo's face, the boy does not glance up like he had been doing for a while tonight. Instead, intent green eyes focus on the cards in the deck that he has constructed.

_It's refreshing compared to the emptiness in his eyes before. At least, he has a better hold of himself now._

The shadows under the boy's eyes are still darker than they should be, but they have lightened since the beginning of Ryo's nightmares. As the boy continues to study his cards, Alister notices an unwelcome angular look to Ryo's features.

_You need to eat more._

As though he senses Alister's thoughts, Ryo stiffens. When Ryo glances up at Alister, the pale orange light of the stove reflects off his green eyes. It looks almost like fire.

Unwanted thoughts enter Alister's head and he looks away from Ryo to look at the clock. When his gaze stays in that direction for too long, Ryo glances turn into a stable look. The boy stares as Alister looks into some far off distance. His grey eyes simmer with some emotion that has his right hand, which hangs over the side of his chair, clenched into a fist.

"Mikey burned alive." Alister's words drop like pebbles into the silence of the room. Ryo remains silent and completely still. His hand stays poised over one card.

"I don't know if it was quick or not for him. Our country was in the middle of a war and they had finally started evacuating some of the younger children. I was too old, so when they came, they had to pull him away from me. I didn't fight as hard as I could have because, deep down, I thought that he would be safe." Alister does not pause but as he still gazes into the distance, Ryo can see the sorrow and hate brewing in his eyes.

"Mother had already disappeared by that point, swallowed up by the violence of the war one night. My friends had died one by one." _Cut through with shrapnel and bullets._ "He was all I had left." For the first time, Alister pauses. "The tank blew up right in front of me. I can still taste the ash in the air. I can still hear the stillness that followed the explosion."

"You can still see your world falling apart as the last anchor you have is destroyed." Ryo's voice, although quiet, carries. Alister looks at him. For that moment in time, there is complete understanding between them. Then, Ryo's words once again carry through the air.

"Father found us."

* * *

The Museum terrifies most people this late at night. From the darkness, it looms out towards anyone who walks up its steps. Its large windows and doors threaten to swallow up any who dare come too near. No one has broken past its barriers. No one has dared to steal its treasures and secrets.

The swish of a grey green coat and the footstep of leather shoes threaten this occurrence. Two figures walk up its stone steps. One stands tall above the other. As he walks, his short red hair seems to frame his stone hard eyes. Besides him, walks a shorter companion; although, his spiked hair attempts to reach the other's height. While crimson eyes focus only on the door in front of them, the shadows around the pair flicker like candlelight.

Alister steps first through the door and heads to the alarm control pad that is a few paces from the entrance. The Dark Yugi continues to walk to their intended destination. A few clicks of a keypad later, Alister joins him in their walk to the heart of the Domino Museum.

It takes minutes for them to reach the office of the infamous Dr. Bakura, and seconds for Alister to slide behind the computer in the archeologist's office. Dark Yugi settles himself in a chair on the opposite side of the room. He sits with his arms crossed and leans back. Crimson eyes remain focused solely on Alister. For several minutes, all that is heard is the click of keys. For several minutes, all Dark Yugi does is observe the way the blue light of the computer makes Alister's face appear inhuman.

"You're good at this."

Alister does not look at Dark Yugi, does not react in any way outwardly to Dark Yugi. The click of computer keys stays the same rhythm.

"I suppose a simple computer system like this is no obstacle for a military man such as yourself." Dark Yugi continues on undeterred. "Although, I wonder why we are even here."

There is a pause in the taps. It is quick, so quick that one has to be listening hard to hear it, but it is there.

"You would think that your organization would have most of the information on Ryo Bakura's father's whereabouts already." Dark Yugi tilts his head to the side.

"It would be _very_ sloppy to send someone to watch Ryo Bakura without having that information on hand." Dark Yugi has to resist the urge to smirk then, but his eyes glint with excitement. Alister's hands hover over the keyboard. There is no other change in his expression, but that gesture is enough.

"I explained before that-" Alister's flat tone cuts off when Dark Yugi speaks.

"I said no lies, Alister. Even if the punishment for them is less severe than before, the rules still apply." The dark one's playful tone causes the shadows in the room to curl. A spark of fear briefly appears in Alister's eyes before it is stomped out.

_Ah, there it is._

Luckily, Yugi is asleep; otherwise, he would not have reacted well to Dark Yugi's anticipation.

"Well, you might not be lying. I suppose you could have just guessed where Ryo's apartment was when you first carried him mostly unconscious back to his home. And I suppose that there is a perfectly good reason for you to be out in a storm like that." Dark Yugi smirks as Alister looks towards him. When the military man looks away, the smirk remains.

"Wow. Your still angry about that call aren't you? What did that teacher pet of yours say to upset you so greatly that you have to point out the obvious in an attempt to regain your confidence?" The click of the keyboard continues.

The smirk vanishes so fast, that it is like it never existed at all. All that is left is an expressionless mask. Alister refuses to look up. He knows that a psychotic touch grows in those crimson eyes, and he has no desire to encourage it.

_Actually…_

"If you're curious, it was a bad idea to make that call where I could hear you." Alister simply cannot resist that last jab said in a stage whisper. He ignores the shadows that curl around the edges of the room.

A few more strokes of the keyboard and Alister breaks through the firewall.

"You're right. That was a mistake on my part." The apologetic tone sounds real, but Alister knows it is a mockery. With a certain spell card weighing heavily in his pocket, the young man waits. The crimsoned-eyed figure says and does nothing until Alister finds what they were looking for.

"He isn't here. He never was."

The curled shadows loosen. Alister looks up to the Pharaoh, but he does not see him in the chair. The young man does not hear anything behind him, but he knows. The dark one leans over Alister's shoulder and his crimson eyes stare intently at the screen. The Pharaoh chuckles.

"He certainly has made a place for himself."

Staring out at them from the screen are video shots and still pictures of the Ring Spirit. In one, Bakura leads a group of movers as they put a new exhibit on display. In another, he talks with several of the main staff of the museum. It is obvious who owns the museum.

"His father must be angry at Bakura for using his name. I wonder why he has not come here yet." The voice has too much interest in it. Alister finds his lip curling at the tone.

"You would enjoy that." The man senses the Pharaoh's gaze on him. "You're enjoying this all, aren't you?"

"Not all of it. Ryo has long since earned my sympathies. However,the puzzles of this situation are too interesting not to enjoy." The Pharaoh smiles and steps back. Alister simply gets up and, as he walks out of the room, glares at the dark one. Even after they have left the Museum, Alister refuses to reply to the Pharaoh's last words.

"Take yours for instance." The way that tone slides through the dark air of the empty street makes Alister want to strangle him. "Although satisfying in its completion, it was frustrating to solve your puzzle."

Alister does not stop walking, but the muscles in his shoulders tense.

"There are some parts of it that are still a bit unclear to me. You were talking about Gozaburo Kaiba's war, weren't you? I mean, you could hate Seto Kaiba for a different reason, but that seems unlikely."

_You bastard._

When Alister turns to punch him, the Pharaoh is no longer there. Instead, he stands a few yards behind Alister.

"I know eavesdropping is often looked down upon, but I couldn't let some stranger talk to my friend without keeping an eye on the situation." Even though the Pharaoh is farther away, his voice still sounds like he stands close to Alister.

_Concentrate. Calm._

Alister senses the dark spirit's amusement at the young man's measured breaths.

_Destroy him._

"Your mood is obnoxious, you know that?" Alister straightens and forces his body to relax. With arms crossed, he looks to the Pharaoh with an unaffected gaze.

_Your words are nothing to me. But I know what will hurt you. You don't remember being the Pharaoh yet, so you must think that…_

"Of course, I can't blame you for your mood right now, can I?" Alister says with a smirk.

The Pharaoh tilts his head again.

"It must be hard realizing you're like the Ring Spirit, that you're just the dark scraps of a child's soul." Alister continues.

The Pharaoh's face is expressionless, but Alister knows that he must be seething inside.

"I am Yugi's darkness. Yugi's Yami, not just some dark scraps." A thoughtful expression crosses the Pharaoh's features. "I am Yami no Yugi. I am Yami." The Pharaoh turns and walks away. Alister is left in the streets just staring at the Pharaoh's retreating back, just waiting for an attack. Before he can decide to follow him or not, the Pharaoh glances behind him.

"I apologize. I was in a bad mood." The tone the crimson-eyed one takes makes Alister feel like that he is being given some kind of pardon. "I would have greatly enjoyed if we had found Ryo Bakura's father, but only because he needs to die." The shadows darken around the crimson-eyed figure. His eyes glow in the darkness.

"But I needed a name, so…that mood has disappeared." The shadows lighten and the figure's eyes dim into a non-murderous state. The Pharaoh turns back around and continues to walk away. Once he decides to follow, Alister swears he hears whispers of the word "Yami" coming from ahead of him. It is almost like a child saying their name for the first time over and over again. But perhaps that might just be the shadows' whispers.

* * *

The next two weeks pass by in a blur. Near the end of them, Ryo suggests that he should return to school. At first, no one knows whether or not to agree with the white-haired boy. However, the realizations that school might help distract Ryo from his nightmares causes the gang and Alister to agree. There are no incidences at school, whether this is from a sudden kindness from the bullies and more ruthless teachers or because for every minute of the day either Joey and Tristan or Yugi, with the Puzzle gleaming in the light, walk by Ryo's side is unknown.

Unbeknownst to the gang, Alister waits every day a few blocks from the school. By the end of the day, he is there in Ryo's apartment when the gang walks through the door. His expression composed and his glare nearly nonexistent.

For a week more, this schedule continues until the cellphone in Alister's bag vibrates late one night, and the red-haired man must leave soon after.

* * *

It is too early in the morning, but Ryo could care less. There are far more important things drawing his attention. Like the fact that Alister has packed his two bags or that those grey eyes refuse to meet Ryo's green while Alister checks his motorcycle.

They are alone out here. The rest of the apartment complex, including Yugi and Joey, are asleep. Tea would ordinarily be awake by now but her, Miho, and Tristan no longer spend the night at the apartment. However, Ryo does not care about that right now. Ryo only cares about the fact that Alister is leaving.

Ryo swallows, but his throat still feels dry. He hugs himself tighter but the hollow feeling in his chest will not subside. The feeling intensifies when Alister stands and fiddles with his coat. He is leaving soon. The only one of his friends who understands what Ryo is going through is leaving.

The white-haired boy does not realize how fast his breaths are until Alister steps closer to him.

"Ryo, calm down." A few feet away, the young man stands there in the pale sunrise light. His intimidating trench coat ripples slightly in the cold breeze. The few rays of sunlight that illuminate the street make Alister's hair shine a brilliant red. Grey eyes, which always simmer with some unreadable emotion, study Ryo. Unable to look Alister in the eyes, Ryo's gaze travels lower.

"You'll be cold in that." Ryo, eager to hide how shaky he still is, reaches out for the first words that come to mind. Alister glances down at the half-shirt he wears under the open trench coat. When Alister looks back up, Ryo swears that he can see the corners of the young man's lips twitch upwards.

"Not really. Thanks for your concern, but I'm used to colder."

In response, Ryo ends up simply staring until he realizes how awkward he must look. The boy's cheeks warm and he looks away. Alister studies Ryo for a moment before speaking again.

"I'll stop by the next time I have leave, even if is only a day or two."

Ryo nods, but his gaze refuses to leave that fascinating sidewalk. His face is still warm. However, some of the hollowness has left his chest.

"Hey."

Ryo senses Alister step closer. The fifteen-year-old tenses when the man is only a foot away.

"They might not understand fully, but you can still rely on your friends to make it bearable to handle." As Alister's voice travels through the air, Ryo feels a hand on his shoulder and forces himself to look up into eyes that remind him of storms. Ryo's breath catches and his feelings do not make sense to him. The realization that dawns in Alister's eyes signal that he can make sense of the boy's feelings. When Alister's eyes widen, it is nearly unnoticeable. The older one steps back. Alister looks away and his expression becomes guarded. Even through this, Ryo's shoulder still tingles.

After a moment or two, Alister looks at Ryo again. The redhead reaches out and ruffles Ryo's hair.

"Don't worry, kid. I usually have leave every few weeks." Alister's tone still is lighter than it has been since he met Ryo, but something lingers within it.

Ryo merely ducks his head and smiles after Alister ruffles his hair. The boy's cheeks are still pink. When Ryo looks up, Alister notes the spark that was not in those green eyes before. With just a "see you later," Alister turns, gets on and starts his motorcycle, and drives away. Ryo watches as he goes. The chilliness of the morning is no match for the warmth that the boy feels within him.

* * *

Bakura cannot stay silent anymore, especially after that. He congratulates himself in that he did not bite off the man's fingers or break his hands, but Bakura's patience snaps when Ryo lets the warmth seep into the soul corridor. This is Bakura's body as well and that small interaction was revolting.

A transparent copy-cat, invisible to all others, appears behind Ryo. Bakura's pure white hair, pale complexion, and glare make him look like a demented ghost out for some bloody vengeance. Or perhaps a vengeance doused in gasoline. His shoulder and scalp still burn from that interaction.

"Ryo."

Landlord's shoulders tense. Rapid breathing drowns out the otherwise silent morning. When Landlord turns around, it is quick enough to cause his hair to fly out and then settle in odd positions around his shoulders. Bakura's cold amber gaze meets Ryo's wide-eyed, small pupil ones.

"Well, well, Landlord, it looks like-"

"Don't hurt him." Ryo's voice is desperate in the face of Bakura's fanged grin. It takes all of the darker spirit's willpower not to flinch as the boy's thoughts run through their link.

_I've lost so much. He wouldn't-_

Images of friends confined in figurines race by.

_He would. No, I can't lose anyone else._

Bakura can sense and see his fragile Landlord's sanity crack in the boy's rising hysteria. The process of the last few weeks is evaporating.

"Settle down. I won't touch him. Just some chit-chat before we discuss important matters." And with that, Landlord calms down. The hysteria dissipates and the cracks seal.

Bakura frowns. This next topic could cause the same unwanted reaction that he has just averted.

"Father," says Ryo. His voice is steady. No fear or any emotion, really, taints Landlord's voice. Bakura's frown deepens.

"When will he come back?"

Amber eyes narrow, and yet another canine grin emerges. However, there is a difference from before, a sharper edge to fangs.

"Never. He knows that to come to this part of the world would mean his death."

Confusion flares up in Ryo's visage before the monotony from before returns.

"But what about the museum?"

Bakura chuckles. The sound is deep and dark and really should make Ryo's skin crawl.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We do need a source of income after all." As the truth sinks in, that statement snaps the monotony off of Ryo's face and out of his tone.

"Wait, you own the Museum?" Ryo's barrage of questions after this and Bakura's raspy laughs serves as distraction enough from the real issues at hand, such as Maya's history, the memories that still float out of Landlord's reach, the two years that Ryo hid away in his soulroom, and Father's and Ryo Bakura's last meeting.

Bakura does not feel like going into his secrets, his life, but Ryo does deserve some tidbits of information about their current life. So, a few pieces of Bakura's life as the Domino Museum curator are necessary sacrifices for this month's rent.

The nagging suspicion that Ryo knows this is a distraction is hard to get rid of. Landlord is more intelligent than most (they were once the same after all) and those rose-colored glasses were turned into dust along with the whiteness. So, the boy's curiosity has returned in full force.

When their eyes meet, that suspicion becomes a belief, yet Ryo does not ask any questions and instead studies Bakura's expression as he cuts off his laughter. Neither speaks until Yugi arrives a minute later with questions about Alister and Ryo's disappearance. The transparent one vanishes. However, the Ring settles itself underneath Ryo's blue shirt. Its tips brush against the scars on Ryo's chest. To the boy's credit, he does not flinch.

_We will continue this conversation later._

* * *

_You fool._

Alister revs the engine at the damn red light. There is a break in traffic and he shoots forward at double the speed limit.

_You were a fool for getting him attached to you like that. You have a job to do. People's souls to tear from their underserving husks. There is not any time for this. You should not have allowed Ryo to get that close. If you fail, he will suffer. If you succeed, he will suffer._

Alister drives far too fast for the hours it takes him to reach one of the Paradius headquarters.

_Maybe Dartz knew this would happen. Maybe he wanted Ryo and I to bond._

Alister misses cars by inches, but that does not matter.

_Maybe he wanted Ryo to grow close so that a Millennium Item owner could be drawn into the cause._

When Alister shoves open the doors to Dartz's specified meeting room, those grey eyes of his match the more violent storms of the sea. Unforgivable and unsurvivable. Dartz's calm bi-colored gaze does not help. Dartz, who stands with a wine glass on top a table besides him and a large window in front of him, merely watches as Alister barges into the room.

"Why?"

Dartz's half smile signals amusement. Alister's frustration increases.

"Would it calm you if I admitted that, yes, I was being quite selfish in hoping that you could rope a Millennium Item owner to our side by using your similarities."

"Your honesty is appreciated, but no."

"I am not finished. That assignment was not just for my own desires. I also desired to help you with your personal quest."

Alister does not speak as images of a destroyed home and of Gozaburo course through his mind.

"I am not going to use Ryo for that."

Dartz no longer half-smiles, but he does not frown either.

"I know the Ring can find whatever is asked of it. But I'm not going to ask Ryo, who just escaped from one evil, to go searching for another." Alister turns to walk away. "Thanks for your considerations, but I'll find Gozaburo after I murder his sons to draw him out."

Dartz watches Alister's retreating back for exactly five seconds.

"Oh, that's not what I meant."

Alister stops in mid-step.

"Usually, it is so hard to find someone who is so similar to oneself. I thought you would like a companion who shares similar goals."

Alister looks over his shoulder.

"After all, the cause of your suffering has a common root."

"What do you mean?"

Dartz does not answer. Instead, he picks up the wine glass that he was drinking beforehand and finishes it off.

"Aknadin, the one who is currently wearing the poor boy's father's body, has tried in the past to get the Ring bonded to a child. However, it is only recently that he has found a supplier with enough resources to collect the large pool that Ryo is derived from." Dartz sets the wine glass down.

"With promises of dark powers and immortality on the table, Gozaburo Kaiba was quite eager to recommend such a high-up family."

Alister's exterior is frozen. His insides are tumultuous and his heart pounds in his ears.

"Of course, when the dark priest backed out, Mr. Kaiba was quite eager to salvage what he could from the boy. A year of mercenary services. A year of horrific experimentation. Who knows what else the boy has endured. However, judging from the directed trail of blood and misery the Spirit of the Ring has left behind since he and Gozaburo parted ways, I am certain that one of them shares your sentiments concerning the man." Dartz runs his finger along the rim of the glass.

"Who knows. Perhaps, he knows something of Gozaburo's whereabouts. It is odd that the owner of the Ring moved to Domino the same day that Gozaburo disappeared."

Those words, this conversation, echo again and again in Alister's head as the sun sets.


	9. Epilogue

A light midnight breeze blows past the pale man. It tousles his auburn hair, and his eyes close in response to the coolness. He breathes out through his mouth then closes it into a frown. The man stands upon firm asphalt. Its heat from the previous day seeps through his shoes.

A whispering shift in the shadows causes the man to open glowing, red eyes. A smile that seethes arrogance overtakes his features. From within his tailored made suit, he turns and looks down at the silver watch wrapped onto his wrist.

"You're late." His voice is smooth with just the right amount of annoyance. It speaks of superiority. It whispers, "you, little darkling, are beneath me."

"No, your watch is off." The childish voice slides behind him. A breath in his ear, and he resists the urge to flinch. His teachers would have been disappointed at weakness.

The man turns slowly. Eye color forced into a light sky blue.

"This is not mine. I apologize for its deficiencies." He nods his head in mock apology. A high-toned laugh from the thick shadows several feet from him sounds out into the night. The shadows stir unease within him. He should be able to see through them.

"Let's cut this game short, shall we? There are far better uses of both our times than spending the night here." The shadows flow away from her and she spreads out her arms to gesture to the surroundings.

The pair stand where two roads intersect in the middle of an empty grassland. The girl, whom he can now see, smirks at him as he stares. She wears a summer dress spotted with sunflowers. Her light brown hair lifts in the breeze and large sky blue eyes study him. Her face is rounded like a child's. With that body, she could be his younger sister.

"You speak of cutting games short, yet you come dressed like that."

She pouts at his scolding tone and stands on the tiptoes of her sandaled feet.

"You were the one who said I should look the part." The childish tone that she had adopted takes on whiny pitch.

"Now," Her voice loses its pouting tone, "what information do you have to offer?" As she speaks, the man steps a few steps closer.

"One of the Dark Lords will be attending the tournament that you have shown interest in."

A look of confusion dawns on her face.

"Are you certain it is not one of their servants? The Dark Lords themselves don't like the Mortal World much. I don't really see them attending a children's card game." Her words, her tone, insult him. She acts as though he is a fool who knows nothing. He may have only learned of her kind's existence a year ago, but a year was enough to learn the most important parts.

"Don't act like that." He keeps his snarl inward. However, his tone is a touch harsh.

"Like what?" The girl tilts her head to the side. The false confusion is still written across her face.

"Like I am a fool. I know what that tournament means to your kind. Three Millennium Items in one place is enticing enough to draw all sorts of you Monsters from the Shadows. Your survival does depend on who owns those Items after all. In the wrong hands, you might find yourself bound to stone."

The mask of confusion drops and the girl frowns. Her eyes flicker once, but he does not see to what color before they are once again sky blue.

"My, my, you know a lot. On a side note, I learned that information when I was six months old. What are you again? Oh yes, one hundred and fifty." Her tone carries a hint of warning. He walks up to her, grabs her chin, and forces her gaze up.

"Don't act superior to me, Ar-"

A dagger slides into the man's belly. The girl uses her free hand to slap his hand away.

"Oh, I didn't underestimate you. You are good at hiding your true emotions behind a mask. However," She stands over him as he sinks to his knees and breathes in gasps.

"Even if they are hidden you let them control you too much. For example, no matter how angry you were or how much you wanted to feel more powerful," She kneels and pulls the dagger out.

"You shouldn't have touched me."


End file.
